Direct travel payment (DTP)

A DTP is a payment available for eligible students to use for 'home to school' transport. You can plan transport around your circumstances, such as attending clubs or going to family or friends after school.

We encourage young people to walk or cycle to school or college or make use of public transport.

Eligibility

Your child needs to be:

• a special educational needs or disability student
• assessed and approved under our home to school travel and transport policy. 

Visit our free home to school travel assistance page for details.

The amounts we pay

We base the amount of money you get on an evaluation of the distance between home and school. 

How we work out the distance from home to school

We use a mapping system that calculates the shortest designated route. 

The 'shortest designated route' is a public route we calculate using software called RouteFinder.

How we work out the payments

We'll offer you a daily rate according to the shortest designated route. We make payments at the end of every half term and use the daily rate to calculate your half-termly payments.

We estimate an academic year at 190 days per year. We will adjust the payment where your child travels less, for example, only 16 times per year. 

If you have more than one child at the same school, you will receive only one daily rate payment for all children.

If children go to different schools, we'll look at them on an individual basis.

We will only make payments once the place of education has confirmed your child's attendance. You don't need to keep your receipts for what you are spending. Our main concern is attendance and will monitor it for any potential issues.

How to apply

Contact your SEN officers, who will apply on your behalf. If you want to discuss the scheme contact us.

We will assess your application and then contact you with the decision.  We tell you how we'll make your payments.

If your child is currently travelling on our transport we'll tell you the date it will end and your payment starts.

Using an existing vehicle or taxi

You may decide to make your own arrangements with the transport provider you use. The arrangement is between you and that provider.

Your child will not be able to travel on Oxfordshire County Council transport.

Cancellation

This is an optional form of travel assistance, and we can cancel the arrangement with four weeks’ notice.

If your circumstances change, contact us to discuss.

Terms and conditions

1. I acknowledge that this Direct Travel Payments Agreement relates only to the Direct Travel Payments made by Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) to me to assist with the travel costs of transporting my child to and from school, and this Agreement is without prejudice to the terms of any contract which I enter with a transport provider and which relates to the provision of school transport. Accordingly, I understand and agree that in the event of any dispute arising in relation to the transport contract, I shall be responsible for such issues or disputes without recourse to OCC.
2. I agree that I will make all necessary arrangements to ensure that my child is taken to and from school every day. I understand that OCC is not entering into a contractual relationship with any transport provider and accordingly, I will be responsible to make payments directly to any transport provider that I engage, and OCC will have no obligation to make payments to a transport provider, and no liability under the terms of any transport contract. 
3. I agree that I will be responsible for all legal requirements and obligations relating to the transport services that I retain, use or pay for using the Direct Travel Payments, including meeting any HMRC requirements and complying with all applicable employment law.
4. I agree that by making the Direct Travel Payments, OCC is not taking on any responsibility for verification of licences, identification, competence and insurance of any drivers, nor for carrying out DBS, safeguarding or criminal records checks of any drivers or other passengers in vehicles transporting my child. I also agree that OCC is not responsible for ensuring the suitability of any vehicles or routes used in transporting my child, but I will be responsible for my child’s safety and security on their journey to and from school.
5. I understand that OCC will not accept any liability in the event of penalties or fines or other payments being imposed or demanded by any authority in respect of travel to school.
6. I understand that I must ensure that there are contingency arrangements to cover difficulties or emergencies in relation to any transport services purchased using Direct Travel Payments and I understand that I will not be entitled to more funds to cover such circumstances unless agreed in exceptional circumstances by OCC.
7. I understand that if I no longer wish to receive Direct Travel Payments, I will inform OCC by giving at least four (4) weeks’ notice in order that OCC may arrange for alternative home-to-school travel assistance and this Agreement will be terminated forthwith.
8. OCC agrees that it will pay the daily rate shown in this Agreement which rate has been calculated on the basis of Table 1, using the shortest designated distance from the child’s home to the School. OCC reserves the right to review Table 1 from time to time.
9.  I understand and agree that the payments will be made in arrears and I will only be paid for the days on which my child attended school, as confirmed by my child’s school attendance records.
10. I agree that payment will be made in arrears at the end of each half-term.
11. For the avoidance of doubt, no additional amounts will be payable in respect of transporting additional children to the school.
12. I agree to tell OCC in writing immediately if:
    a) My child moves to a new house or changes schools;
    b) My child is unable to attend school on a long-term basis;
    c)My child's travel needs change on a permanent basis
13. In the event that a new Direct Travel Payment Agreement is signed by the parties in respect of the same child, this Agreement will automatically terminate on the commencement of that new agreement.  
14. I agree that I will not use my Direct Travel Payments to pay any charges due to OCC.
15. OCC reserves the right to terminate this Agreement by giving four weeks’ notice.
16. This Agreement and any claims arising out of or in connection with it or its subject matter or formation (including non-contractual disputes or claims) shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with English law and shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.