12th December 2025
The Scottish Government updated its School Transport guidance on 8 December 2025, which sets out what local authorities need to do and things they should consider when providing transport for children and young people to and from their school.
You can find the guidance here.
We are pleased to see the guidance reflects some of Connect’s calls from our recent survey:
- Pupil safety must be taken into account when making travel arrangements, including when provision is removed and for walking routes
- The local authority should engage with all relevant parties including parents when making decisions on school transport
- Transport policies should be kept under regular review
- When making transport policies local authorities must take into account educational impact, community engagement, and compatibility with the UNCRC
- More detailed criteria for safe walking routes, with consideration given to volume, speed and type of traffic, crossing availability, type of landscape (ie is it built up/wooded/near water), streetlighting, and accessibility factors (eg dropped kerbs)
- Expanded the section on Additional Support Needs, with references to duties to make reasonable adjustments including providing transport
- Guidance on complaints procedures and how these must be dealt with promptly, complainants should be kept updated on progress and timeframes, and that parents and carers should be able to raise concerns about removal of transport or safe walking routes
However, while we welcome this guidance, we are disappointed not to see all our recommendations and we continue to call for the Scottish Government and local authorities to take action on:
- Lowering the statutory walking distances for eligibility to free transport
- That transport provisions must account for access to after school activities (clubs, sports etc) including dedicated transport at later times
- School Crossing Patrol Officers should be reinstated
- There should be detailed guidance and entitlement to road safety education for all pupils
- More power should be given to Safer Routes to School groups and Junior Road Safety Officers to contribute to decisions over changes in their community and safety measures around schools