School travel assistance

At Croydon council we offer a range of services designed to help arrange young people’s travel in a way that builds resilience and allows them to lead a more independent life.

Closing date for applications: 4 July 2025. 
If you apply after this deadline, your travel assistance will not be guaranteed for the September term.

Eligibility

You may be eligible for travel assistance if you meet the following requirements:

Basic requirements

✔ The parent/carer and young person both reside in Croydon

✔ The young person’s age is between 16 and 25

✔ The young person is on a course of further education at a school, college or training provider

✔ The course is deemed suitable and will provide an educational benefit to the student

✔ The young person cannot reasonably be expected to walk to school because of:

• their special educational needs, disability or mobility problems (evidence to this effect will be required)
• the nature of the route to school

Additional requirements may apply in accordance with our travel assistance policy. You can download this from the download section at the foot o this page. Read the policy carefully and only apply if you believe the young person meets the outlined requirements. Any applications failing to do so will be automatically rejected.

Options

When applying for travel assistance the council will assess which of the following options is most suitable for your situation. Unfortunately we cannot guarantee in advance which type of support will be available for you.

Independent travel training

Pupils that have the potential, once trained, to travel to and from school independently may be offered independent travel training (ITT) a personalised, one-to-one program designed to support young people with special needs or disabilities to learn how to travel from home to school or college safely on their own.

To learn more, go to independent travel training.

Travel on trams and buses

Pupils aged 16 or 17 can travel at half the adult rate. The council may offer further assistance with travelling on public transport where this is deemed necessary in light of the pupil's needs.

Young people are required to carry a Zip Oyster photo card, which must be swiped on every journey to take advantage of the young person rates.

To apply for a Zip Oyster Card visit photocard.tfl.gov.uk . You will be required to create an account with a valid UK address before you apply.

A recent photograph of the pupil and their passport number is required to verify their age. If the pupil does not have a valid passport, TfL will provide you with a verification letter, which you will need to download, print and take to a London post office, with an appropriate proof of age (birth certificate, passport, European Economic Area ID card or a biometric residency permit). If the young person does not have any form identification, their identity can be verified by the school which must stamp and sign the verification letter before it is submitted.

If you have any questions, contact the Oyster helpdesk on 0845 330 9876.

Personal transport budget

In most cases students eligible for travel support for post 16 studies who are unable to travel independently will be provided with a personal transport budget.  See the SEN post 16 factsheet (PDF, 140KB) and the post 16 travel assistance policy (PDF, 400KB) which details the support available and the application process.

Transport arranged by council

Whilst for a large number of pupils getting to school independently or with the help of a parent or carer will be a safe and reasonable experience, a small number of young people with complex needs will be offered travel assistance arranged by the council.

When arranging travel, the suitability and safety of the routes available will be our priority. The arrangements may include school buses or taxis and will take escort requirements into consideration.
 

How to apply

If you fulfill all the eligibility complete the application form