Home to school transport contracts: how councils buy SEN and taxi work

In England, councils must arrange free travel to school for eligible children. A lot of that travel, including transport for children with special educational needs (SEN), is run by taxi, minibus and coach operators under contract. This guide covers why councils buy it, what they check and where the contracts are advertised.

Why councils buy it

The Department for Education's statutory guidance says local authorities must make suitable travel arrangements, free of charge, for eligible children of compulsory school age, under section 508B of the Education Act 1996. Councils decide how to arrange it, for example a pass for a service bus, a dedicated school bus or a taxi. Some children need a passenger assistant on the journey as well as a driver. With a parent's agreement, a council can instead pay expenses so the parent arranges the travel.

What councils check

• Safeguarding. The guidance says councils should make sure drivers and passenger assistants on dedicated school transport have an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check with a check of the children's barred list, the safeguarding training they need, and know how to report concerns.
• Taxis and private hire vehicles. Operators and drivers must be licensed by a local licensing authority.
• Buses and coaches. Operators need a public service vehicle operator's licence from the Traffic Commissioners. Drivers need the right licence and an up to date Driver's Certificate of Professional Competence, which means 35 hours of approved training every five years.
• New checks for school services. The guidance says the Bus Services Act 2025 requires bus and coach operators to carry out enhanced criminal records checks for all drivers of closed-door school services who drive them on more than three days in a 30-day period.
• Not-for-profit operators. Permits under section 19 or section 22 of the Transport Act 1985 let them run services without a full operator's licence.
• Seat belts. Councils can decide to accept only vehicles fitted with seat belts in their contracts.

Where the contracts are advertised

• Find a Tender carries new procurements in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, including smaller contracts worth £30,000 or more that a council advertises.
• Contracts Finder still carries older procurements. Between 1 July and 28 October 2026, 201 of the 206 new passenger transport opportunities on Contracts Finder came from councils.
• Frameworks and dynamic markets. If a council awards routes through one, you join first and bid for routes later. Find a Tender's commercial tools search lists frameworks and dynamic markets being set up.

In our count, transport lots with a published bid count had a median of 5 bids. Our transport tenders guide has more on the sector.

Before you bid

• Check the licences the contract accepts match yours.
• Make sure every driver and passenger assistant has the checks the contract asks for.
• Check the vehicles needed, including any wheelchair access.
• Plan cover for sickness so routes still run.
• Register on the Central Digital Platform. It's free.

Questions

Who pays for home to school transport?

The local authority. In England, councils must make free travel arrangements for eligible children of compulsory school age, under section 508B of the Education Act 1996.

What checks do SEN transport drivers need?

Department for Education guidance says councils should make sure drivers and passenger assistants on dedicated school transport have an enhanced DBS check with a check of the children's barred list, and the safeguarding training they need.

Is a council school transport contract the same as a taxi licence?

No. Taxi and private hire licences come from the local licensing authority. A school transport contract is a separate agreement to run routes, and it says which licences and checks it needs.

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Sources

• GOV.UK: Travel to school for children of compulsory school age, statutory guidance for local authorities (Department for Education, May 2026; read 31 October 2026)
• Find a Tender home page, About Find a Tender (read 31 October 2026) and Find a Tender: search (filters, procurement stages, notice types and saved searches; read 31 October 2026)
• GOV.UK: Contracts Finder (read 31 October 2026) and Contracts Finder
• GOV.UK: Guidance: Below-Threshold Contracts (updated 13 July 2026; read 31 October 2026) (paragraph 23)
• Our counts: Find a Tender and Contracts Finder open data (OCDS), counted by Your Evenings Ltd on 30 October 2026, as published on our sector guides. Transport is classification code 60 (transport services); the council figure is from our council tenders guide.

This guide summarises the official sources above. It isn't legal advice. Check the notice and tender documents for each contract.

Written with AI assistance by the Your Evenings team at Your Evenings Ltd. Last updated 31 October 2026.