What a personal travel budget (PTB) is and how to apply.
A personal travel budget (PTB) is a payment for you to spend on your child’s travel to school. It enables you as a family to have choice and control over your child’s journey to school.
You can spend this payment as needed to ensure your child travels to school in the best possible way that meets your needs as a family.
You can use the money to:
- pay for the costs of driving your child to school
- give to a family member or friend so they can drive your child to school
- pay for someone to walk your other children to school
- spend on taxi fares or public transport costs
- pay for anything else that works for your family
How it works
How much money you get is worked out based on the two return journeys to and from school at the beginning and end of the day. It’s not just based on the mileage of the journey. We’ll work with you to agree a daily rate based on the mileage, as well as:
- Length of journey
- Any siblings going to a different school and
- Breakfast or after school clubs
How payment is made
Once we have agreed a daily rate we pay the PTB into a bank account of your choice. This could be one term in advance, so that the money is there to use straight away, or it could be paid in arrears; the choice is yours.
Any days that you do not complete the two return journeys are adjusted from the following terms payment.
Benefits of a personal travel budget (PTB)
A PTB is not tax deductible and does not need to be declared as income. A PTB enables you to have flexibility with the journey to school. For example:
- If you as a family are running late one day, you can leave when you're ready
- It enables you to maintain relationships with school through daily contact that would otherwise be lost if your child was travelling in a taxi.
The choice and control with how you spend the money lies with your family.
It offers an ordinary life for disabled children; they will be travelling to school with their family rather than strangers, meaning fewer transitions during their school day.
Find out if you’re eligible for a PTB
Fill in the online home school travel support form on the school travel support page to see if you’re eligible for a PTB.
To be eligible for a PTB, you must meet the criteria for support with travel, as set out on the school travel support page.