Contact responds to County Councils Network report about rising cost of school transport
2 mins read
Thursday 19 February 2026
Yesterday the County Councils Network (CCN) published a report warning about the rising demand for school transport for children with SEND (special educational needs and disabilities). It warned that costs are going up at an unsustainable rate and could cost councils £3.4bn by 2030-31.
In the report they suggested that one way to reduce council costs would be to means test for school transport. This would mean that families above a specified income threshold could be required to make a financial contribution to home-to-school transport.
Read the article in the Guardian about this, which includes a comment from Contact’s CEO Anna Bird.
Anna says:
“School transport should be based on a child’s need and not what their parents earn. Means testing access to school transport would not only be a reduction in rights for disabled children and young people by restricting their access to education, it could also prevent parents from working. Families with disabled children already have higher costs. Means testing based on parents’ income could potentially ignore these extra burdens. A family earning what’s considered above the threshold on paper may have far less disposable income in reality. Families just above the threshold could face thousands of pounds in transport costs as a result.
“Transporting disabled children to school is far more complicated than for their non-disabled peers. Many disabled children can’t attend the schools local to them because either they require specialist provision, local schools aren’t accessible, or don’t have the places. Means testing transport doesn’t just balance budgets – it risks locking disabled children and young people out of education altogether.”
If you need information or advice, look at our online resources for transport in England or contact our helpline.