Personal Transport Budgets

Information about how Personal Transport Budget (PTB) payments work and how much you could receive if eligible.

PTBs are usually arranged for the full school year and are reviewed each year. If your child is still eligible, you’ll need to sign the PTB agreement each year.

If a PTB is agreed, we’ll:

1. set up a monthly payment into your chosen account
2. make the first payment at the start of the academic year in September

If your child starts to receive a PTB partway through the school year or attends school or learning on a part-time basis, payments will be on a pro-rata basis.

The final monthly payment in August may be adjusted if a reduction is needed. For example, to account for low attendance or regularly arriving late to school during the year.

The standard amount that would be offered with a Personal Transport Budget (PTB) is 45p per mile. This will include the cost of two return journeys to and from the students' school or education setting.

As you can use a PTB in many ways, you do not need to use the same route as measured by the Council.

After you complete the SEND transport application form and ask for a PTB, we’ll contact you to discuss your family’s individual needs. We will then determine your family’s PTB amount.

Factors considered include:

• your child’s special educational needs or disabilities
• your child’s age
• travel distance as measured by the Council
• how your child might travel to their educational setting
• journey time
• whether your child needs to be accompanied
• specialist equipment needs

There may be circumstances where a PTB is not appropriate. This could include where the Council can arrange transport at a lower cost. This will be assessed as part of the application process.

If there is more than one eligible student in the same household we will take this into account in the PTB amount we offer.

It might be appropriate for one of your children to receive a PTB and for another child to use transport that is arranged by us.