School transport guidance 2025

Section 3 Safety of Pupils

3.1 Walking distances

31. In making their arrangements for the provision of free school transport, local authorities will take into consideration the distance between a pupil’s home and the pupil’s catchment school. Legislation does not prescribe the distance beyond which they must, nor distance below which they must not, provide transport, although the legislation does specify that, where a local authority fails to provide transport to a child living beyond walking distance to the nearest public school willing to accept the child, a parent will be deemed to have reasonable excuse for not ensuring the attendance of that child at school.

32. In general, therefore, local authorities may make free travel available to pupils who live beyond the statutory walking distance^[14] and are attending the school designated as the nearest appropriate catchment school^[15]. The statutory walking distance is defined in section 42(4) of the 1980 Act as being two miles for children aged under eight, and three miles for children aged eight or over.

33. It is for local authorities to determine the nature of the provision they offer, taking into account local circumstances and a combination of factors - including distance - and they may choose to provide free transport over shorter distances.

3.2 Distance and Safe Walking Routes

34. Local transport and active travel strategies prepared by local authorities give consideration to school transport and travel. These may assist local authorities in defining “recommended walking routes” which they assess as safe to their schools to help parents, carers and pupils. Engagement with, for example, other relevant departments within the local authority, parents and carers, pupils, transport operators, Transport Scotland in relation to trunk roads, local communities and other agencies such as the police or DVSA as appropriate, will assist authorities in defining these routes.

35. Ministers expect local authorities to keep their criteria for providing school transport under review and be flexible enough to take into account factors, relative to the nature of the route, which might affect pupil safety. Taking into account a local authority's statutory obligation to have regard to the safety of pupils, there will be instances where authorities conclude that the route pupils would have to walk to school (accompanied as necessary) is unsafe. The local authority should then either provide transport even though the distance falls short of their normal criteria or undertake work to reduce the exposure of pupils to road danger.

36. In looking at walking, wheeling and cycling route to school options there is a number of factors local authorities will wish to consider. These include the volume, speed^[16] and type of traffic on routes that are assessed. Speed is a key determinant in road casualty rates and severity. Visibility between drivers and those walking, wheeling and cycling and vice versa is important at key potential points of conflict such as at junctions and crossings and parking around the school zone. Availability of crossings, either permanent or patrolled, will also form a consideration alongside availability of street lighting, passive surveillance, footway, footpath and cycle path widths, built-up and wooded areas, proximity of watercourses, adequacy of street lighting subways and adequacy of waiting areas where these may be needed. Accessibility needs should also be considered, including the availability of dropped kerbs and other factors to ensure that routes are accessible for all users.

37. Authorities should work with other departments within the local authority, and other interested parties, to ensure that well-used walking, wheeling and cycling routes are considered for priority gritting treatment during winter months, properly lit with a well maintained surface, and free from trip hazards and excess or accumulated surface water, particularly in areas with additional hazard factors such as high speed traffic, or watercourses and bodies of water.

38. This is not an exhaustive list with many other factors that local authorities will wish to consider which may be relevant to the location and specific circumstances of potential routes.

3.3 Walking, wheeling and cycling funding

39. Scottish Government funding for active travel will, subject to the annual budget setting process, include support for active travel behaviour change and infrastructure. For behaviour change interventions, funding is available for local government through the Schools and Young People theme in the People and Place programme, as well as the Bikeability programme. Bikeability is the national cycle training programme for school children that has been supported by the Scottish Government directly since 2003, and prior to that through The Scottish Road Safety Campaign (predecessor to Road Safety Scotland) as far back as 1985. This initiative builds the skills and confidence children need to cycle on the road and offers a comprehensive training programme for children covering everything from pre-ride safety checks and road signals to hazard awareness and bike checks. Other behaviour changes interventions include walking school buses which may be appropriate in some circumstances. Scottish Government infrastructure funding for new and improved walking, cycling and wheeling routes, including routes to schools, is made available primarily through the Active Travel Infrastructure Fund. The fund supports the design, development, and delivery of active travel infrastructure measures across all of Scotland’s local authorities. Further walking, wheeling and cycling guidance can be found in the Appendix to this document.

3.4 Road Safety Scotland

40. Road Safety Scotland13, in its education function, has developed a suite of learning resources for 3–18-year-olds made freely available across Scotland. In collaboration with the Scottish Government’s Marketing and Insight Team and a number of partner agencies, it also ensures that major at-risk groups and behaviours are tackled through publicity and/or social marketing campaigns.

Case Study – Walking Buses in Dundee

Walking buses are provided across Dundee by Dundee Leisure and Culture Ancrum Centre, using funding from the Transport Scotland Community Project Transition Fund (CPTF) including at the Eastern Primary School. The concept is based on the guidance of pupils along a set route chaperoned by a bus driver, at the head, and a bus conductor, at the rear of a procession. The walking bus follows a defined route allowing pupils to join along the route and maximising the safety of participants. Walking buses provide active travel benefits by increased rates of walking, and walking confidence, as well as raising awareness with local communities through their presence and visibility.

The walking bus provides access to the Eastern Primary School at term times. The Ancrum Centre have been active in developing heat maps illustrating demand and potential route development, allowing for the future expansion of the walking buses to provide greater benefits for more pupils.

41. Road Safety Scotland develops and maintains high-quality resources written by teachers for teachers and linked to Curriculum for Excellence; they are made available online to allow access to resources for use with children and young people aged 3-18 both in the classroom and at home. These include:

• For Early Years, the ‘Out and About’ buggy book for 0-3 years (included in the SG Baby Box) and ‘Go Safe with Ziggy’ resource for 3-6 years.
• For Primary (Early, First and Second Levels), ‘Roadstars’ and the ‘Junior Road Safety Officer’ scheme, which operates in most of the 32 local authorities across Scotland.
• The two former secondary resources (‘Your Call’ and ‘Crash Magnets’) were replaced by a new single resource “Mechanimals” in October 2025)
• A new resource^[17] is being developed for children and young people with complex additional support needs and will be available in late 2025
• Additional digital resources include: a section for those about to embark on a driving career^[18]; and a reaction timer.

42. Current or planned social marketing activity includes campaigns relating to motorcyclists; young drivers; drink-driving; drug-driving; fatigue; seatbelts; vulnerable road users; driving on the left; and fitness to drive.

43. Road Safety Scotland also produces leaflets aimed at parents of young or new drivers and is a key partner in the Good Egg In-car Safety Campaign, which seeks to ensure that all children travelling in cars are properly restrained.

44. Local authorities may also find it helpful in shaping their transport services, to refer to ‘Health and Safety on Educational Excursions’^[19] and ‘Minibus Safety – A Code of Practice’.^[20]