Free school transport: Primary schools
Free school transport is available to primary school (reception to year 6) pupils if their home is more than two miles away from the nearest suitable school or there is no safe walking route. The nearest suitable school is the nearest school to the child’s home that:
- provides education for the relevant age of a pupil
- is the nearest school to meet the language preference
- is the nearest faith school or non-faith school
Nursery pupils are not eligible for free school transport.
We can provide transport for other personal circumstances but you'll need to provide supporting evidence with your application.
How to apply
You can apply online for free school transport to the nearest suitable primary school.
You can only apply for free school transport if a place has been confirmed at a school and you live in Denbighshire.
Apply for free school transport to a primary school
If you would like to track the progress of your school transport application, or if you have been asked to provide more information, you can track the progress or provide more information online.
Track progress or provide more information on a school transport application
What happens next:
If your application is successful, we will contact you directly to confirm pickup times and other details. The amount of time it will take us will depend on when you apply.
Mid-term applications
If you are applying for free school transport to start during the school year, we will contact you about the outcome of your application within 15 working days. This 15 days refers to the checking of eligibility and responding, and not when transport will commence. If successful, Passenger Transport will let you know when your transport will start.
Start of school year applications
If you are applying for free school transport to start at the beginning of the school year (September), we will contact you about the outcome of your application before or during the summer holidays.
If your application is refused
If your application for free school transport is refused, we will contact you to let you know why and you'll have 20 working days to make an appeal. Find out more about making an appeal.
More information
Where can free school transport be provided from?
Free school transport, is only provided to the registered home address. Transport is not provided to addresses of other family members, friends, parents work addresses, childcare facilities or any other address that is not the registered home address.
Dual residency
If a pupil has dual residency e.g. parents living at different properties, free transport can be provided for both addresses, but as well as the standard eligibility criteria, we will need to:
- Receive an application for each address.
- Make sure the school attended is the nearest suitable school to the main residence.
- Main residence is usually the property to which child benefit is paid and the address registered with school
- Find out which days the pupil will be travelling from each address.
- Refuse applications for weekend travel e.g. drop off on Friday and pick up on a Monday morning.
If the second residence is in a different county, then an application will need to be made to that county.
Moving house
If a pupil receiving free school transport moves home part way through the school year, then a new application will need to completed and assessed.
If after moving home a pupil is not attending what the Authority considers to be their nearest suitable school then they will not be eligible for free school transport.
We will consider providing discretionary transport for a pupil who is part way through a GCSE year (Year 10 and 11).
Related documents
Learner transport policy (PDF, 520KB)