Free Merseytravel pass
FreeDisability
Free bus, train and Mersey Ferries travel in Merseyside for young people with a qualifying disability.
🚌 Travel help in Knowsley
Help with getting to school, college or training for young people with SEND who live in Knowsley. Travel support depends on where the young person lives, not where the school or college is.
✔ Checked October 2026⚡ Knowsley at a glance
Post-16 charge
£725 a year
Only if council-provided transport is the lowest-cost option. A 50% reduction for families on a low income.
Apply
From April
Apply by 31 July if a travel pass is needed for September.
Travel training
Knowsley Council
Council travel training officers work with young people with SEND.
Decision time
Up to 20 working days
To assess, arrange travel and issue passes.
Source: Based on Knowsley Council's post-16 transport policy statement. The version on the council's website is labelled 2025–26 and was the latest available online when this page was checked.
👥 Who can get help
Up to 16
School age
Home to school transport for children of compulsory school age, under the council's school transport policy.
16 to 18
Post-16
Knowsley residents with an EHCP, at the nearest suitable school, college or provider, on a course of at least 450 guided learning hours a year. All post-16 learners must reapply. Continuing students are reviewed every year.
19 to 25
Adult
Adults aged 19–25 with an EHCP are assessed individually. Transport must be free where the council decides it is necessary for them to attend education or training.
What the council looks at
To be considered for help at 16–18, the young person normally needs to:
- live in Knowsley
- be on a course of at least 450 guided learning hours a year at a school, college or 16–19 academy
- have an EHCP and attend the nearest suitable school, college or provider
- be aged 16–18, or have started the course before turning 19.
The council then looks at the young person's needs, distance and journey time, the route, anything the EHCP says about transport, and whether a nearer suitable provider offers a similar course. Help with transport is usually for young people with complex needs, such as complex communication, learning, behavioural, physical or medical needs, or dual sensory impairment.
Choosing a setting further away: if a family asks for a setting that is not the nearest one able to meet the young person's needs, the council may name the nearer setting as well. The family may then have to pay for all transport.
🔍 Try these first
16–19 Bursary Fund
MoneyCollege
Ask the school or college. Families on a low income are encouraged to apply.
College transport
Check first
Some sixth forms and colleges run or contract their own transport. Check the college website or ask the college directly.
🧭 What help might be offered
The council promotes independent travel options first, before agreeing to council-arranged travel. Depending on the young person's needs, the support offered may include a travel pass, independent travel training or council-arranged transport.
💷 Costs
Full charge
£725 a year
Applies at 16–18, and at 19 for continuing learners, if council transport is the lowest-cost option.
Low-income families
50% off
For families who would have qualified for free school meals, or who can show a means-tested benefit.
No charge
Some groups
Looked-after young people, young people living alone and receiving Income Support, and young carers.
Evidence: families on Universal Credit or Working Tax Credit need to show the full award, including the income breakdown. Payment plans are explained in the council's statement.
Check the current year: these figures come from the statement labelled 2025–26 on Knowsley's website. Confirm the current charge with the SEND transport team before deciding.
📝 How to apply
- Apply from AprilApply as early as possible for the next academic year.
- Use the online formOr email the SEND transport team to ask for a paper form.
- Apply by 31 July for a travel passThis gives time for the pass to arrive for the start of term in September.
- AssessmentThis can take up to 20 working days. The team will contact the family to find out more about the young person's needs.
Late applications: if you apply in August or September, transport may not be ready for the start of term. Families may need to make other arrangements in the meantime.
🚶 Travel training in Knowsley
Knowsley's independent travel training officers teach young people with SEND the skills to travel to and from school or college on their own.
- Tailored: each programme fits the young person and goes at their own pace. Support is reduced gradually until they can travel on their own.
- Consent: the young person agrees to the programme if they are 16 or over and have capacity, otherwise their parents or carers do.
- Assessment first: officers assess whether travel training is suitable before a decision is made. If it is, the family is expected to support the programme.
- Fares covered: bus fares are paid during training for young people who don't have a Merseytravel disabled pass.
- After training: secondary-age pupils who can then use public transport get a travel pass for the rest of that academic year, if they don't have a disabled pass.
⚖️ If you disagree with a decision
The council's statement includes a section on appeals and complaints. Read it, or ask the SEND transport team, before the deadline in your decision letter.
📎 Documents, forms and contacts
Post-16 transport policy statement
Council page16–25
Knowsley's post-16 policy, including support, payments and appeals.
Local Authority support (eligibility and costs)
Council page
Section 4 of the statement: criteria, contribution, low income and travel training.
Travel and transport assistance
Council page
Knowsley's travel and transport help for school and college.
Knowsley SEND Local Offer
Local Offer
SEND information and services for Knowsley families.
Online application
Apply
Apply for an assessment for travel support.
Contacts
SEND transport team
Knowsley Council
send.transport@knowsley.gov.uk