Councils warn home-to-school transport system is “outdated, expensive and failing families”
A school bus in the Cotswolds. Image: Alamy.
“We’re working with a 1940s system in 2025,” Public Accounts Committee hears, with £2.5 billion being spent.
Reporter: Ciara Cassidy.
England’s home-to-school transport system is on the brink of collapse, council leaders told MPs yesterday, warning that increased SEND demand and a shortage of local special school places have pushed costs to record levels, with councils waiting on a clear plan from the government.
Giving evidence to the Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC), officials said local authorities spent £2.5 billion last year transporting half a million children to school or college. More than half of that bill was for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), driving a £415 million deficit across the country.
“We’re working with a 1940s system in 2025,” said Amanda Hopgood, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Children, Young People and Families Board. “It’s outdated [and] an expensive system and it isn’t delivering for families.”
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By Ciara Cassidy for EDUCATION UNCOVERED
Published: 9 December 2025
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