Paid home to school travel assistance

What is a Spare Seat?

• The service provides an opportunity to purchase a ‘spare’ seat on council-operated school contract vehicles.
• This is a paid service that is only available on existing council-operated school contract transport and where there would be no additional cost for the council to add the young person to the journey.
• Spare seats are allocated only after all eligible students have secured their places on council-funded routes. The capacity of the vehicle assigned to each route is determined by the number of eligible students requiring transport; consequently, both vehicle size and spare seat availability may vary.
• Spare seats will only be offered for existing routes and from existing boarding points
• We cannot guarantee seat availability if a student eligible for free home-to-school transport needs the seat, or if a smaller vehicle is used because there are fewer eligible students on that bus route.
• Spare seats must be applied for and then reapplied for annually
• Since seats are not guaranteed and may be withdrawn with as little as five days' notice, it is advisable not to rely solely on this service and to maintain alternative travel arrangements at all times.
• Payment is required for all Spare Seats – transport will be ceased if no payment is received
• A minimum of five working days' notice will be provided if a spare seat is withdrawn due to it being needed for a pupil eligible for free travel.
• All spare seat users and their families agree to adhere to School Transport Code of Conduct (pdf format, 184Kb)

What happens if there is no Spare Seat available?

• If all appropriate vehicles are full, you will be placed on a waiting list and if space becomes available, we will contact you
• If we have to withdraw the seat we will write to advise, giving 5 working days’ notice, we will refund any unused contribution, and you will be placed on the waiting list

Pay an invoice

• all vacant seats will require a contribution cost to be paid
• you will be a termly invoice requesting payment for the upcoming term
• invoices must be paid in full before travel commences

Apply for the spare seat scheme

By applying for a spare seat, you agree to the Terms and Conditions of the Scheme (pdf format, 145Kb). Applicants and students agree to adhere to School Transport Code of Conduct (pdf format, 184Kb)

2026/27 academic year

Applications for the spare seat scheme for travel from September 2026 opens on 1 May 2026

How and when are spare seats allocated

We can only offer spare seats after we have allocated seats to all children and young people who are eligible for free home to school travel.

For travel starting in September 2026, please apply by 30 June 2026. We will try to process applications received by this date for the start of term, but we may not be able to confirm a spare seat until after term starts.

Applications received by 30 June 2026 are unlikely to be processed before the autumn half term (October). Until we have processed your application and you have received a travel pass, you will need to make your own travel arrangements.

When you apply, we will aim to acknowledge your application within 10 working days and process it as soon as we can. 

Spare seats are limited. If we receive more applications (by the deadline) than there are seats available on a route, we will offer seats in the priority order below. After we have processed all on-time applications, we will then work through the waiting list using the same priority order*.

1. Renewal applications
2. Looked After Children or former Looked After Children who have been adopted
3. Pupils/students with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)
4. Children of Armed Forces personnel - in line with our duty as part of the Oxfordshire Armed Forces Covenant
5. Siblings of pupils/students allocated a place in priority one and siblings of eligible pupils travelling on the same route.
6. All others - on a first-come, first-served basis from date of application 

* Where there are more applicants than places in any of the above categories, priority will be given to those living closest to the destination school (measured using the shortest available route using the council’s GIS) 

No commitment is given to provide students under the scheme with continuous transport assistance as priority is given to eligible students requiring transport on specific services.

If spaces on a contracted coach or taxi service are required for eligible students, then vacant seats will be withdrawn.

The decision to withdraw a Spare Seat will normally be based on the last seat allocated being the first to be withdrawn; we will provide a minimum of 5 working days notice in writing of our intention to withdraw a Spare Seat and a pro rata refund will be issued.