Recommendation 6

Better local transport options and an integrated approach to education and transport planning, would reduce home to school transport costs, particularly in the most rural settings. The ongoing decline of bus services, particularly in rural areas, is a long-standing concern for this Committee. It has reduced travel options and increased reliance on local-authority-provided home to school transport. A move to local bus franchising, where local authorities decide the routes, timetables and fares for local services provides an opportunity to replace expensive contracts with lower-cost alternatives. For many of the children and young people that use it, particularly those with SEND, transport is not just about going from A to B but also about gaining independence. Ensuring bus services better meet the needs of pupils will require coordination between transport and education authorities. There are some good examples of coordination and collaboration between local authority SEND and transport teams already, but the Department could do more to promote this. Safer walking and cycling routes to school could reduce reliance on home to school transport and offer benefits to the community as a whole, while 5 resetting expectations about what travel assistance looks like beyond a door-to-door service could also create savings. For example, rather than a taxi from home to school, it could be transport from home to a bus stop or from a bus stop to a place of education. recommendation In its Treasury Minute response, the Department should set out how it is working with the local government sector and with other government departments, such as DfT, to better integrate education and transport planning in all local authorities and harness the benefits that improved local transport can have on home to school transport. 6 1 Overseeing home to school transport Introduction