Sale of Seat Applications for September 2025 are not being accepted at this time. Further details for academic year 2025/26 will be updated prior to the school summer holidays .
Making an application
Applications open Monday 22 July 2024. You will need to apply to purchase a seat on school transport by completing an on-line application or by contacting Customer Services on 01443 425001.
- Applications received before Monday 22 July 2024 will not be considered.
- All sections of the form must be completed fully. Part completed forms cannot be processed.
- Completion of an application form does not guarantee that you will be sold a seat. Spare seats are limited and demand may outstrip availability.
- Spare seats are sold on a first come first served basis.
- Additional bus stops will not be added to School Transport services to accommodate pupils who are not entitled to free school transport
- Please do not contact the Council to check on the progress of your application. Please be assured that if and when a seat becomes available to be sold to you, you will be contacted accordingly
Make your application to purchase a spare seat
What Happens Next?
Should a seat become available for sale, you will be e-mailed with instructions on how to access the Council’s online payment system. The e-mail will also include your child’s reference number, which you will need before the payment can be processed. Only when payment is received will the seat be released. In exceptional circumstances customers can submit a written request to pay via monthly instalments. Such requests are dealt with on a case by case basis.
Should you be sold a seat, and the number of eligible children that are entitled to travel on the service increases during the term, the situation may arise whereby there would be insufficient seats and your child’s entitlement to travel would have to be withdrawn. If this situation were to occur, then a ‘pro rata’ refund would be made to you for the remainder of the term.
The current cost of the seat for the academic year is £147.30 (£154.65 from September 2025), which is either charged in full for the academic year or pro rata in accordance with the date of release of the seat. Any customer who has failed to pay for seats in previous years will not be sold a seat for the 2024/25 academic year.
The Council operates a zero tolerance policy, any customer found to be verbally abusive or threatening towards Council employees will have their application to purchase a seat removed. Any subsequent correspondence will be conducted in writing and not verbally.