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🚌 Travel help in St Helens
Help with getting to school, college or training for young people with SEND who live in St Helens. Travel support depends on where the young person lives, not where the school or college is.
✔ Checked October 2026⚡ St Helens at a glance
Who it covers
EHCP, 16 to 25
On a full-time course at the nearest suitable provider.
Post-16 charge
None stated
St Helens' statement does not list a charge. Check with the transport team.
Travel training
Several providers
The council, Mill Green School, Carmel College and local organisations.
Bus tickets
Changed 6 Sept 2026
Most Arriva and Stagecoach tickets are no longer valid on St Helens services.
Source: Based on St Helens Borough Council's Transport Policy Statement for Post 16 Learners 2025–26 (the latest published online when this page was checked) and the council's Help with travel page.
👥 Who can get help
Up to 16
School age
Help is available for children who can't walk to school because of mobility needs or SEND-related safety issues, and who attend the nearest suitable provision. Travel training may be offered from Key Stage 4 to young people with an EHCP.
16 to 18
Post-16
Learners with an EHCP on a full-time course at the nearest institution offering a suitable course.
19 to 25
Adult
The same support applies up to age 25 for learners with an EHCP on a full-time course.
What the council looks at
St Helens helps with transport for learners with an EHCP aged 16 to 25 who are on a full-time course. The learner must attend the nearest institution offering a suitable course.
🔍 Try these first
College bursaries
MoneyCollege
St Helens College and Carmel College both offer bursaries and help with travel costs. Ask the college's student support team.
Sarah Cowley Educational Foundation
GrantUnder 25
A local fund for St Helens residents under 25 at the start of their course. Ask the council about applying.
🧭 What help might be offered
Depending on the learner's needs, help with travel will be one of these:
- A public service travel pass
- Independent travel training
- Parental mileage, paid when a parent drives the learner
- A seat on a hired vehicle, with or without a passenger assistant.
Bus ticket changes from 6 September 2026: most Arriva and Stagecoach tickets stopped being valid on St Helens bus services. Use Merseytravel tickets such as MyTicket (£2.20 a day for under-19s), Solo tickets or multi-operator passes. Disabled person's passes are still accepted. See Merseytravel's guide to the changes.
💷 Costs
St Helens' post-16 statement doesn't list a parental contribution for learners with an EHCP. Charges can change from year to year, so confirm with the School Transport Team when you apply.
Help with costs: learners in vulnerable groups can get a bursary of up to £1,200 a year through their college. These include learners in care, care leavers, learners getting Income Support or Universal Credit, and disabled learners getting DLA or PIP together with ESA or Universal Credit in their own right.
📝 How to apply
- Get the application formDownload it from the council's school and college transport page, or phone the School Transport Team.
- Send it backBy email to schooltransport@sthelens.gov.uk, or by post to St Helens Council, People's Services, PO Box 512, St Helens WA10 9JX.
- Apply early in the summerThe council asks for applications by the end of July so that transport is ready for September.
Check the deadline: the deadline printed in the council's current statement is out of date. Ask the School Transport Team for this year's date.
🚶 Travel training in St Helens
Several organisations provide travel training in St Helens:
St Helens Borough Council
CouncilEHCP
Voluntary training for young people with an EHCP from Key Stage 4, tailored to each young person. Phone the School Transport Manager on 01744 671034.
Mill Green School
Years 12–14
Travel training for its own learners in Years 12 to 14. Phone 01744 678760.
Carmel College
College
Travel training for learners with moderate learning difficulties. Phone 01744 452200.
Shaw Trust
Towards work
Travel training for people moving into training and employment who can't yet travel independently.
St Helens Coalition of Disabled People
Community
Travel training for individuals. Phone 01744 453343.
Note: travel training isn't a replacement for transport assistance. Phone numbers come from the council's 2025–26 statement, so check with the provider first.
⚖️ If you disagree with a decision
St Helens has a two-stage process:
- Stage 1: reviewWithin 20 working days of the refusal, ask in writing for the Principal Officer to review the decision. The review takes place within 20 working days.
- Stage 2: Independent Transport PanelIf the decision is upheld, you have 20 working days to ask for an appeal. The panel meets within 40 days.
If you think the application wasn't handled properly, contact childrencomplaints@sthelens.gov.uk or the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.
📎 Documents, forms and contacts
Help with travel (SEN)
Council page
Home to school transport and travel training for children with SEND, with the current policies.
Transport Policy Statement for Post 16 Learners 2025–26
PDF16–25
St Helens' post-16 statement, including support, travel training and appeals.
St Helens bus ticket changes
Merseytravel
What changed for bus tickets in St Helens from 6 September 2026.