The Council’s school transport service is designed primarily for learners who qualify for free home-to-school travel assistance under the Council’s Home to School Transport Policy. However, on some larger bus routes, there may be a limited number of spare seats available for pupils who do not meet the eligibility criteria.
These spare seats are offered at the Council’s discretion and are subject to availability. They are not intended to accommodate all non-eligible pupils, and availability can change from year to year.
It must be stressed that until parents/carers are advised that a seat is available, they must make appropriate arrangements to get their child(ren) to school. Parents/carers should not rely on the availability of a spare seat.
Purchasing a spare seat for academic year 2025/26
A full review of transport provision has taken place based on the number of entitled pupils from September 2025. As a result of this review there is unlikely to be any significant spare capacity to offer seats for sale from September 2025, although these will be made available in line with the Council’s current sale of seat policy.
Secondary Schools
Seats can only be offered where there are spare seats on school buses operating for students who qualify for free transport.
From September, the Council will no longer be operating school buses, or have no spaces available, into the following secondary schools, therefore you will not be able to complete an application:
- Aberdare Community School
- Bryncelynnog Comprehensive School
- Cardinal Newman RC High School
- Mountain Ash Comprehensive School
- St. John Baptist (Church in Wales) High School
- Porth Community School
- Treorchy Comprehensive School
- Ysgol Nantgwyn
- Ysgol Afon Wen
- Ysgol Garth Olwg
- Y Pant Comprehensive School
Spare seats will be limited at other secondary schools.
Spare seats will only be made available once the Council have allocated all entitled learners to contracts and are in receipt of any post 16 leavers, where applicable. It is unlikely seats will be made available before the start of the school term and therefore parents/carers should not rely on the availability of spare seats and make alternative arrangements to get their child(ren) to school.
Primary Schools
Spare seats can only be offered where there are spare seats on school buses operating for students who qualify for free transport.
Spare seats will be limited with some routes into schools having no availability.
Making an application
Applications open Monday 21 July 2025. Parents/carers 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 21 July 2025 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 a seat will be sold. 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 £154.65, 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 2025/26 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.