The Partnership aims:
- To ensure transport information is available to students to aid in making their choice for Post 16 provision, with services compatible to allow students to follow the course of their choice.
- To ensure that inadequate transport services are not the root cause of poor retention rates.
- To offer the skills to student with severe and complex difficulties to enable them to travel using mainstream public services.
1. Please provide details of all concessionary fares, discounts, subsidies, passes or travel cards available for students aged 16-18 and who provides them. Please provide details of any cost to the learner.
Students aged 16-19; permanently resident in Greater Manchester and in full time education on a Further Education Course can purchase a GMPTE Scholar’s Permit. This permit allows the holder to travel at the standard concessionary fare for journeys on buses within Greater Manchester (currently 80 pence flat fare per journey) and approximately half the adult fare on trains and Metrolink trams. The permit will indicate a specified journey between the student’s residence and place of education and is only valid Mondays to Fridays before 9.00 pm for this specific journey. The permit can be used for travel at other times or between other places for curriculum-related studies, work experience or job training, and for medical appointments during school or college hours, provided that a variance voucher is obtained by the student from their school or college. The variance voucher must be presented with the permit when the fare is paid. If the student does not have a valid variance voucher correctly stamped by the student’s education establishment, the full adult fare will be charged for the journey.
The cost of the permit is £5.00 and students must apply to GMPTE Travelshops situated in main bus stations. Application forms are available from schools and colleges, GMPTE Travelshops and by post from GMPTE (Telephone: 0161-244-1050, Textphone: 0161-244-1299). The form can be downloaded from GMPTE’s website (External link) using the following link, GMPTE Forms (External link) In the event of the pass being lost, all replacements can be purchased at a cost of £5.00.
The System One Young Person’s Bus Saver ticket can be purchased by anyone between ages 16 and 21 and allows seven consecutive days travel on the majority of buses for journeys anywhere within Greater Manchester. The ticket currently costs £12.75 per week. Users must have a Young Person’s Travel Club membership card. Membership of the club is free and students can join at any GMPTE Travelshop. Holders of a valid membership card can then purchase the System One Young Person’s Bus Saver from GMPTE Travelshops, or from Post Offices. Also available is the System One Young Person’s 28 day Bus Saver, which currently costs £45.00, and is valid for travel on the majority of buses for journeys within Greater Manchester for 28 days, or the System One Young Person’s Annual Bus Saver, which currently costs £470, and is valid for travel on the majority of buses for journeys within Greater Manchester for one year.
Students between ages 21 and 26 and in full time education can purchase the System One Young Person's tickets on production of a valid full time student card. Students over the age of 26 and in full time education can purchase an Adult Annual Bus Saver for the cost of £625. National Travel Pass for Disabled People. Students of any age with a disability may be entitled to a National Travel Pass for Disabled People if they reside permanently in Greater Manchester and have one of the following disabilities
- severe walking difficulties
- are registered partially sighted
- profoundly or severely deaf have been,
- or would be refused a driving licence on medical grounds
Students should initially contact GMPTE’s Travel Concessions Department who will advise on how to obtain a free pass (Telephone: 0161 244 1050).
A National Travel Pass for Disabled People entitles students to travel on any bus within the Greater Manchester bus boundary area for free between 9.30 am and 11:00 pm Monday to Friday, and all day at weekends and bank holidays. Before 9.30 am Monday to Friday, you will travel for the standard concessionary fare of 80p.
Holders of this pass may also travel to or from places in Cheshire, Derbyshire, Lancashire, Merseyside and West Yorkshire for half the Adult fare before 9.30am. Listed below are the furthest places you can travel to or from for half fare. If your journey takes you beyond these places, you must pay the full adult fare for the whole journey.
The town centres of: Hadfield, Glossop, Hayfield, Tideswell, Buxton, Macclesfield, Knutsford, Warrington, Prescot, Ormskirk, Leyland, Blackburn, Accrington, Rawtenstall, Bacup, Portsmouth [West Yorkshire], Hebden Bridge, Halifax and Huddersfield.
On local trains and Metrolink trams the concessionary travel permit entitles the holder to free travel after 9:30 Monday to Friday and all day at weekends and on Bank Holidays. Before 9.30 am, the fare is approximately half the full adult fare. Students of any age with a disability may be entitled to a National Travel Concession Plus Pass if they permanently live in Greater Manchester and have one of the following disabilities:
- registered blind with the local authority
- profoundly deaf and without speech or with speech that cannot be readily understood by an untrained hearing person
- without natural speech and unable to communicate orally
- without the use of both arms
- with learning disabilities
Students should initially contact their local Social Services Department who will decide if they are eligible, or alternatively, contact GMPTE’s Travel Concessions Department who will advise on how to obtain a free pass. Students are required to complete an application form, have it authorised and provide 2 passport size (25mm x 30mm) photographs.
The National Travel Concession Plus Pass provides free travel on buses, trains and Metrolink for all journeys, which begin and end in Greater Manchester. When travelling by bus between Greater Manchester and Cheshire, Derbyshire, Lancashire, Merseyside or West Yorkshire to selected towns before 09:30. After 09:30am holders may travel for free on local buses, throughout the rest of England until 11pm Monday to Friday and all day at weekends and on public holidays.
Learners aged 16 to 19 who are undertaking YPLA, Young People’s Learning Agency, funded training Apprenticeships and Advanced Apprenticeships, who are employed are expected to meet the costs of their associated travel.
2. What times during the day can learners use their travel pass or obtain concessionary fares?
Holders of a GMPTE Scholars Permit are entitled to travel at the concessionary rate for one specified home to school/college journey in the morning and one school/college to home journey in the afternoon. Journeys must be completed by 9:00 pm. The permit may be used at other times or between other places for curriculum related studies, work experience or job training, and for medical appointments during college hours, provided that a variance voucher is obtained from the college. The variance voucher must be shown when the fare is paid; failure to produce a valid voucher will result in the full adult fare being charged.
The System One range of tickets allows travel at all times throughout the period of validity of the ticket. However, these tickets cannot be used on night bus services or other premium fare services. National Travel Pass for Students with Sensory Impairment or Learning Difficulties. A National Travel Pass for students with a Sensory Impairment or Learning Difficulty entitles students to travel on any bus within the Greater Manchester bus boundary area for free between 9.30 am and midnight Monday to Friday, and all day at weekends and bank holidays. Before 9.30 am Monday to Friday, you will travel for the standard concessionary fare of 80p.
Holders of this pass may also travel to or from places in Cheshire, Derbyshire, Lancashire, Merseyside and West Yorkshire for half the Adult fare before 9.30am. Listed below are the furthest places you can travel to or from for half fare. If your journey takes you beyond these places, you must pay the full adult fare for the whole journey.
The town centres of: Hadfield, Glossop, Hayfield, Tideswell, Buxton, Macclesfield, Knutsford, Warrington, Prescot, Ormskirk, Leyland, Blackburn, Accrington, Rawtenstall, Bacup, Portsmouth [West Yorkshire], Hebden Bridge, Halifax and Huddersfield.
Holders of the National Travel Pass for Disabled People may travel for free on all local buses throughout England, between 9.30am and 11pm Monday to Friday and all day at weekends and on public holidays. National Travel Concession Plus Pass.
The free travel pass provides free travel at any time on buses, trains and Metrolink for all journeys that begin and end in Greater Manchester and for half fare when travelling by bus between Greater Manchester and selected towns (as above) in Cheshire, Derbyshire, Lancashire, Merseyside, and West Yorkshire before 9.30am. After 9.30am holders may travel for free on local buses, throughout the rest of England until 11pm Monday to Friday and all day at weekends and on public holidays.
3. Please confirm that support will continue to be made to students who reach 19 whilst continuing on a course.
Students are able to pay the Concessionary Fare, using the GMPTE Scholars Permit for the remainder of the academic year they turn 19. This allows for a maximum of three years travel using Concessionary Fare after leaving school at the statutory leaving age.
4. How will learners be assessed to see if they are eligible for support? E.g., means testing or must they are on benefits?
GMPTE Scholars Permits
No income assessment is used for these. The only evidence required is likely to be proof of age and/or evidence of enrolment on a full-time course.
Financial Assistance Home to College Travel Expenses
Alongside the EMA scheme a student less than 19 years old may apply for a £50 per year refund towards the cost of travel expenses to college if:
- The distance between home and college is between 3 miles and 15 miles by the nearest walking route, and
- Attending a full time course, and
- Parents / guardians are or have been in receipt of a means tested benefit at some time during the academic year of the claim.
The qualifying benefits are:
- Income Support
- Working Tax Credit
- Housing Benefit
- Disability Working Allowance
- Income Job Seekers Allowance
Claim forms are available at the end of the academic year and may be obtained from the school, college or the Children and Young People’s Services, Supply and Transport Team. Additional Support from School and College Learner Support Funds/Hardships Funds Income assessments may vary from college to college. Funds are allocated using income assessment. Students should enquire to the Student Services / Head of Sixth Form at the institution they wish to attend.
5. What help do you provide for learners with disabilities and/or learning difficulties or facing other difficulties in following their courses?
For students in the 16-19 age group the Children and Young People’s Services, Supply and Transport Team provides transport that may be required for those students with disabilities or learning difficulties. The type of transport will be dependent on the needs of the student. Forms of application are available from the Supply and Transport Team at Progress House. Every encouragement will be made for students who have reached 16 to travel between home and college using mainstream services. Students with special needs who are educated in Residential Colleges are entitled to claim the cost of 4 single trips to college each term. The amount to be refunded will be based upon public transport rates or a mileage rate of 40p per mile. Students or their carers wishing to apply for this financial support should contact the Supply and Transport Team at Progress House. See Section 10 for contact details.
6. Do you provide mobility / independence training for learners who face difficulty with transport?
The Children and Young People’s Service aims to support students in developing the skills to achieve independent travel on mainstream services. In September 2003 a pilot project involving students at Hope School (Hawkley Brook Annex) commenced to help develop their independent travel skills. Since the start of the project travel training has become an integral part of the curriculum within Hawkley Brook Annex. The good practices developed have been shared with other special schools with students from Oakfield High School and College benefiting from this expertise. A Travel Training Officer has been in place at Oakfield High School and College since setting in January 2007. The work at Hawkley Brook College has been recognised with them being successful in obtaining a Leading Aspect Award in May 2005. A website has been set up to promote independent travel training Cool move website (External link)
Independent travel training is designed to provide students with a life skill that enables them to use mainstream public transport services. The training takes place during the school day and any impact in reducing the demand for home to school transport services is deemed to be of secondary importance.
7. When should learners start to apply for transport support?
Transport Advice
Students are advised to give thought to transport implications when considering options at Post 16 and contact the Supply and Transport Team as soon as possible for advice especially if using mainstream public transport services is not a viable option.
Scholars Permits
Students may apply for and collect their Scholars Permit at the time of their enrolment at a school or college within the Wigan Local Authority area. The cost of the Scholars Permit is £5.00.
College Learner Support Funds
Students normally cannot apply for support from the Learner Support Fund until they have enrolled on a course at the college.
8. What help can learners apply for if they need to travel to a course that is beyond your Local Authority (LA) area?
GMPTE Scholars Permits and System One Bus Savers are available to all students for travel throughout Greater Manchester. A detailed map of routes covered is contained in leaflets available from the GMPTE website (external link).
9. What help is available for students who attend a further education institution, which is beyond daily travelling distance, and who need to stay away?
Residential Support
Residential support is available to students undertaking courses at specialist colleges e.g. agriculture and horticulture, art and design. Information and application forms can be obtained from specialist colleges who are responsible for administering the support funding.
Travel
Students with special needs who are educated in Residential Colleges are entitled to claim the cost of 4 single trips to college each term. The amount to be refunded will be based upon public transport rates or a mileage rate of 40p per mile. Students or their carers wishing to apply for this financial support should contact the Supply and Transport Team at Progress House.
10. Please provide information about all points of contact for students seeking transport support, e.g. LA, Colleges, Transport Providers. Please include any websites and e-mail addresses.
National Traveline
Public transport information is available through the National Traveline on 0871 200 22 33 between 7.00am and 8.00pm Monday to Friday, 8.00am to 8.00pm Saturday, Sundays and Public Holidays (calls cost 10p a minute from landlines), or on the Traveline website (External link)
National Rail Enquiry Line
Rail travel information available on 08457 484950 or on the National rail website (external link)
Children and Young People’s Services Department, Supply and Transport Team, Progress House Westwood Park Drive, Wigan WN3 4HH E.mail: schooltransport@wigan.gov.uk Supply and Transport Team Tel 01942 486115
Connexions E.mail info@connexions-wigan.org.uk Tel. 0800 9530109 Y
Young People’s Learning Agency YPLA North West Office 0845 337 2000 Young People’s Learning Agency website (External link)
Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) Timetable and Ticketing Enquiries: See Traveline Information on GMPTE Passes and Permits: Tel 0161 244 10 50 (Monday to Friday, office hours only) Website: GMPTE website (external link) & Go To Website (External link)
The GMPTE Website has a journey planning service and links to the websites of transport providers (Both rail and bus). Note: This Journey Planner does not currently show details of dedicated school and college services. However the GMPTE Website (homepage) contains a link ‘Bus Services to Schools and Colleges’ containing details of all school and college journeys operating in each Borough of Greater Manchester. Individual Schools and Colleges will be able to provide detailed timetables of the bus services to their establishment. Please enquire at the appropriate school or college.
Email and Telephone Contacts - Post 16 Schools and Colleges in Wigan
Wigan and Leigh College Website (External link) Student Services Centre – Transport Tel: 01942 761807 E.mail: transportqueries@wigan-leigh.ac.uk
Winstanley College Website (External link) Co-ordination: Tel: 01695 628624 E.mail: sonia.heyes@winstanley.ac.uk
St John Rigby College Website (External link) Student Services – Wynn Highton: Tel: 01942 214797 E.mail: wyn.highton@sjr.ac.uk
The Deanery High School – 01942 768801 Head of Sixth Form Dr T Rummery E.mail: enquiries@admin.deanery.wigan.sch.uk
Leigh St. Mary’s – 01942 884144 Head of Sixth Form Mr D. Philpot
