Nearly half a million children under the age of 16 in England rely on local authority-funded transport—taxis, buses, and more—to get to school every day, according to new government estimates released in early 2025. But as the cost of providing this crucial service continues to soar, councils are warning that the system is reaching a breaking point, forcing difficult decisions that could reshape how thousands of families get their children to school.
The Department for Education’s (DfE) latest data, the first of its kind, reveals that 470,000 pupils under 16—about 6% of the total in England—use this funded transport. Of these, a striking 40% (roughly 180,000 children) have special educational needs and disabilities (Send), underscoring the vital role of these services for some of the country’s most vulnerable students. Another 50,000 pupils over the age of 16 also depend on council-funded rides to school.
But these numbers come with a price tag that’s ballooned in recent years. Local authorities spent £1.5 billion on transport for under-16s with Send in the 2023-24 financial year—two and a half times what was spent in 2015-16, according to the BBC. The Local Government Association, representing councils across England, sounded the alarm in a summer 2025 report: “Continuing to fulfil the current statutory responsibilities for home to school transport is becoming increasingly financially unsustainable, posing a real threat of bankruptcy for some, and necessitating cuts to other vital aspects of children’s services provision in many more.”
The law currently requires local authorities to arrange funded transport for children who live a certain distance from school, or who cannot walk because of Send, mobility, or safety reasons. For children over eight, that threshold is more than three miles; for those under eight, it’s more than two miles. But as costs spiral, some councils are pushing for change.
Warwickshire County Council is at the center of the latest controversy. Its young leader, George Finch—who took the helm at just 18 earlier this year—has written to Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, asking for permission to increase the statutory walking distance limits. If granted, this would mean children could be required to walk up to five miles to school before qualifying for free transport. Finch argues that this move is necessary to rein in a service that now costs the council £50 million annually, up from £17.9 million in 2018-19, and projected to reach £80 million within five years.
“Our hands are tied,” Finch wrote, pointing to the council’s efforts to improve efficiencies and minimize costs. “Despite the various steps we are proactively taking to seek to improve efficiencies and minimise costs for the delivery of these services, we anticipate that these costs will rise to around £80 million over the next five years.” According to his analysis, increasing the walking distance by one mile would reduce the number of eligible children by 8% (about 800 children), and by two miles would cut eligibility by 16% (1,600 children). The council currently transports over 10,000 pupils to their schools each day.
Finch’s letter also called for more local autonomy: “I would therefore like to formally request that local authorities are given the power to have delegated authority to change these statutory eligible walking distances where it makes sense to do so in a local area. This would provide local authorities with another vital tool to tackle the challenges faced by rising costs of provision, based on local circumstances.”
But the proposal has sparked fierce backlash from political opponents and parents alike. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson didn’t mince words, telling the BBC, “A Reform-run council is seriously proposing to make children in a deprived area walk five miles to school so [the council] can balance their books.” She likened the plan to “taking our children back to the Victorian era,” warning, “If you want an example of the danger that Reform would pose to our children if they ever got into government, look no further.”
Local Liberal Democrat councillors also voiced their alarm. Cllr Jerry Roodhouse, the party’s leader at Warwickshire County Council, said, “Parents and carers will be horrified by the dangerous prospect of their children having to walk such huge distances to and from school each day. In many parts of Warwickshire the routes to school do not have a lit pavement over the distances proposed and, if our children and grandchildren have to carry school bags, sports kit and musical instruments over the proposed distances, they’re much more likely to arrive at school too tired to learn.”
Labour opposition councillor Sarah Feeney echoed these concerns, telling the BBC, “I’ve seen cases across the county where parents are already struggling to get their children to school because they fall just short of the three miles. Some of them have very small children and getting them to school is incredibly hard with long walks in the cold.” She added, “I don’t believe people voted for Reform in May to have vital services cut from them.”
For families of children with Send, the stakes are especially high. Many require specialist schooling that isn’t available locally, making transport essential. Ailith Harley-Roberts, a Send parent and campaigner from Leeds, is fighting against cuts in her area. Leeds City Council recently announced that Send students over 16 will no longer receive council-funded transport—a move intended to save £800,000. “I want her to be in a place of education, which is her right, that best meets her needs,” Harley-Roberts said of her 15-year-old daughter, Talia. “That equality of opportunity is still really important.”
Rob Williams, senior policy advisor at the school leaders’ union NAHT, stressed the wider impact: “Funded transport plays a crucial role in helping many children attend school regularly and develop their independence. However, a growing number of councils are reducing transport provision due to increasing budgetary pressures, and when children simply cannot get to school this threatens to deepen existing attainment gaps and place even more pressure on already stretched parents.”
The government’s own education committee has recommended preserving education, health and care plans (EHCPs) for children and young people with Send, despite mounting financial pressures. The National Audit Office has previously described the Send system in England as “broken,” unsustainable, and failing to deliver better outcomes for children.
In response to the mounting crisis, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson announced a delay in reforms to the Send system and other school policy proposals until 2026, promising a “further period of co-creation, testing our proposals with the people who matter most in this reform.” She added, “My message to families is that it won’t stop here. We’re absolutely determined to deliver a better system that supports your children at every stage.”
As councils grapple with rising costs and families brace for possible changes, the debate over school transport in England has never felt more urgent. Whether the government’s promised reforms will deliver a system that is both sustainable and fair remains to be seen, but for now, the journey to school is at the heart of a national conversation about opportunity, equality, and the future of public services.
