Who is eligible for free school transport?
Cyngor Gwynedd provide free transport to learners who live in the County and who have registered in a school maintained by the Council under the following circumstances:
Single Site Schools:
- Learners receiving primary education - for learners who live 2 miles or more from the school in their catchment area, or the nearest school (not including nursery class pupils).
- Learners receiving secondary education - for learners under 16 years old who live 3 miles or more from the school in their catchment area, or the nearest school.
- Learners with additional learning needs or disabilities under 16 years old in accordance with the recommendations of the Additional Learning Needs Moderation Panel.
Multi-Site schools:
- Learners receiving primary education - for learners who live 2 miles or more from the nearest school site in their catchment area, or the nearest school site (not including nursery class pupils). [Every school site (in a multi-site school) will have a specific catchment area.]
- Learners receiving secondary education - for learners under 16 years old who live 3 miles or more from the nearest school site in their catchment area, or the nearest school site. [Every school site (in a multi-site school) will have a specific catchment area.]
- Learners with additional learning needs or disabilities under 16 years old in accordance with the recommendations of the Additional Learning Needs Moderation Panel.
All learners in the county who are over 16 years old and who have registered on a post-16 course are expected to download a specific travel pass. The pass is available free of charge and is available on the Cyngor Gwynedd website.
Learners who receive primary or secondary education (except for some learners - see above) are expected to walk up to 2 miles to meet any modes of transport provided by Cyngor Gwynedd.
In order to receive free transport, the parents of learners who receive primary and secondary education are expected to complete a free transport application form and return it to: Transportation and Street Care Service, Regulatory Department, Cyngor Gwynedd, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, LL55 1SH (It is possible to contact by phoning Galw Gwynedd on 01766 771000).
Receiving free transport is subject to the learners’ compliance with the code of conduct for school transport. It is the parents/guardian’s responsibility to ensure compliance with the code of conduct. Failure to comply can result in losing the right to free transport from home to school. Should the right to free transport be lost, it is the parents/guardians’ responsibility to shoulder the cost of transport from the home to the school.
Learners who attend a school (or a school site) other than the school (or school site) in the catchment area or nearest school (or nearest school site) are required to make their own travel arrangements and pay the cost for that transport.
Receiving free transport is subject to the learners’ compliance with the code of conduct for school transport. It is the parents'/guardians' responsibility to ensure compliance with the code of conduct. Failure to comply can result in losing the right to free transport from the home to school. Should the right to free transport be lost, it is the parents'/guardians' responsibility to arrange and shoulder the cost of transport from the home to school.
Learners who attend a school (or a school site) other than the school (or school site) in the catchment area or nearest school (or nearest school site) are required to make their own travel arrangements and pay the cost for that transport.
Empty Seats Scheme
Learners who receive their education in Gwynedd and are not entitled to free transport can take advantage of any empty seats in the Council's transport vehicles. The empty seats scheme is not available on public service bus contracts.
Taking advantage of the scheme is subject to:
- The availability of empty seats
- The vehicle not having to divert from its usual route
- No additional costs to Cyngor Gwynedd
- Paying the current fee for empty seats
There is no guarantee that empty seats will be available for the duration of an academic year, if the entitlement ends, every effort will be made to give at least one week's notice. If this happens, the learner will have to arrange their own transport to get to school and your payment will be rounded to the nearest half term. Failure to comply with the Travel Behaviour Code may terminate entitlement to an empty seat.
When awarding new empty seats or ending the use of empty seats priority will be given to:
- Pupils with an Individual Development Plan (Authority)
- Pupils who live furthest from the school or site
How to apply?
Apply on-line by clicking on the following link www.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/seddigwag (opens in new tab)
When will the application be processed?
If the application is for September, the application will be assessed by the end of September. You will need to make your own travel arrangements until your application has been assessed. Applications received during the academic year (excluding September) will be considered as soon as possible.
You will receive a response by email.
What if I don’t want to continue with the scheme?
Please let the transport unit know immediately via cludiant@gwynedd.llyw.cymru or by letter if you do not wish to continue with the scheme. If you have received a bus pass you will need to return the pass to the Authority. We advise returning any passes by post by means of special delivery and needing a signature to ensure it arrives. The empty seats fee will expire on the date the pass is received by us. If the pass is not received the fee will continue. If you pay by direct 13 debit, do not cancel it, this will be done by the Authority.
A letter/pass can be sent to the address below:
Integrated Transport Unit, Cyngor Gwynedd, Council Offices, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, LL55 1SH
What is the fee?
The fee will fall into 2 categories:
(i) Catchment Fee: a learner receiving primary education and living less than 2 miles from the catchment area school (or school site), or a secondary education learner living less than 3 miles from the school (or school site).
(ii) Out-of-catchment fee: a learner who attends a school (or school site) other than the catchment-area school (or school site).
The fee is reviewed annually and the information will be available on the website www.gwynedd.llyw.cymru/teithioirysgol (opens in new tab)
How to pay?
You will be sent an invoice for payment, or you can arrange to pay by direct debit.
What help is available if walking routes are dangerous?
When learners receiving primary education live less than 2 miles from the catchment area school (or school site), or learners receiving secondary education live less than 3 miles from the catchment area school (or school site), and, therefore, are not entitled to free transport, but travel to school along a road that is considered by the Council to be especially dangerous, free transport is offered. A dangerous road is defined whereby the nature of the road (which includes public footpaths) means that it is not reasonable to expect learners (considering their age and with an escort as needed) to be able to walk in a comparatively safe manner. In assessing the comparable safety of a road, the Council will undertake an assessment of the risks a learner could face along the determined road (including, for example, rivers, ditches, traffic speed along the nearby road, history of accidents, overhanging trees or branches that could impair the ability of pedestrians or drivers to see, etc.). The assessment would be held at the time of day and days of the week that learners would be expected to use the road.
The shortest route available is the route which is not deemed by the Council to be especially dangerous, after assessing the other routes available for the journey.
Is there help available to learners who change address during an examination course?
The Council will contribute towards the travel costs of a learner who has moved into a new catchment area during an external examination year, or previous year, e.g. GCSE course, and who wishes to complete the course in the same school (or school site) that serves their former home, by means of one of the following methods:
- Offering free transport when it is possible to arrange transport without an additional cost to the Council.
- Offering to pay an amount up to a maximum of the equivalent to 20 miles of daily travel according to the current local government national public transport allowance scale.
Any payment will be made at the end of every term for every day the learner has been noted as being present on the school’s register.