What a personal travel budget is
A personal travel budget is an amount of money a council pays to a family instead of arranging transport itself. You use it to get your child to and from school or college in the way that works best for them. It's usually offered to children who are eligible for SEND travel assistance.
How families use it
- Driving your child to school yourself, covering fuel and parking
- Paying a friend, relative or carer to take them
- Booking a transport operator, such as a minibus or a single-occupancy journey with a passenger assistant
- Sharing costs with another family going to the same school
Before you accept one
- Ask how much it is, how often it's paid and whether it covers both morning and afternoon journeys
- Check what happens if you're ill or can't do the journey one day
- Ask whether it covers a passenger assistant, if your child needs one
- You can usually turn it down and ask for council-arranged transport instead
Using a budget with Sentinel Transport
If you have a personal travel budget, you can book us directly. We'll agree a fixed price, the same driver and passenger assistant each day, and a plan that follows your child's pupil passport.