Oldham Council provides free travel passes for students who qualify, allowing them to travel to and from school on public transport at no cost.
To get a free pass, students must meet certain requirements.
- Children 7 years old and younger qualify for free travel if their journey from home to school is more than 2 miles.
- Children 8 years old and older qualify for free travel if their journey from home to school is more than 3 miles.
You must live in Oldham to apply. If you live outside Oldham, even temporarily, you’ll need to apply through your local council instead.
Processing applications can take up to 20 working days.
How distance is measured
"Home" means the student's main registered address, usually the address given for school admissions. The Council may check this address if necessary.
"Distance" is the shortest available walking route from home to school.
If parents choose a school farther than the official walking distance because of personal preference or because a sibling goes there—and there is another school within the walking distance—parents will need to cover any travel costs.
Make sure your child’s school is more than 2 miles away (for children 7 and under) or more than 3 miles away (for children 8 and older), based on their age. If the school is not beyond the required distance, a pass will not be issued.
Low-income families
Children qualify as being from low-income families if they receive free school meals or if their family receives the maximum level of Working Tax Credit (WTC) at the time of application.
The application form includes an option to upload digital copies of this proof, so have these documents ready. Without this evidence, we cannot consider low-income status in your application.
If you don’t have proof, please email benefitsfsm@oldham.gov.uk to request confirmation, as we cannot obtain it on your behalf. Make sure to have this proof before applying.
Children ages 8 to 10 from low-income families qualify for support if they live more than 2 miles from their nearest eligible school.
Children aged 11 and older from low-income families qualify if they live more than 2 miles from their nearest eligible school, or if the nearest school aligned with the family's religion or belief is between 2 and 15 miles away from home.
If parents choose a school beyond the set walking distance—either by personal choice or because a sibling goes there—and there is another school within the walking distance, parents will need to cover any travel costs.
Faith-based applications
Faith or religious reasons for attending a school are only considered if the family meets the low-income requirements above. If you don’t meet these requirements, faith-related reasons will not be considered.
Apply
Application form for a free school travel pass
Change of address
If a student moves, they can get free school travel only if they are in Years 10 or 11, or if they are taking exams, and their new address is at least 3 miles from their school.
Students in Years 7, 8, or 9 can stay at their current school after moving, but they won’t qualify for free travel if there is a suitable school within walking distance of the new address.
New to Oldham / attending school outside of Oldham
If your child is not in Year 10 or 11 when you move to Oldham, you are expected to apply for a local school.
If you decide not to apply and keep your child in their current school, you probably won’t qualify for travel support. We may still be able to offer a place at a local school, even if it’s full.
Support for students with SEND, an education health and care plan or mobility issues
Please contact Oldham Council's SEND Transport assistance:
If your application is denied
You can request a review of the decision by a senior officer within 20 working days.
If you’re still unhappy with the senior officer's decision, you can appeal to an independent panel. The team will give you instructions on how to appeal, and you must submit the appeal within 20 working days of receiving the senior officer's decision.