One in three Brighton and Hove parents go without essentials or borrow money to pay school bus fares, new report finds
Today Class Divide is publishing our new School Travel Report, based on a survey of 258 parents and carers across Brighton and Hove, alongside group discussions with families and headteachers in East Brighton.
It finds that the cost and reliability of getting to school is now directly affecting attendance, punctuality, family finances and children’s access to wider school life.
This should be simple: travel to school should help children build independence, confidence and connection. Right now, for too many families, the way school travel works is doing the opposite.
At a glance: what we found
33% of parents and carers said they have gone without essentials to pay school bus fares, and 30% said they have borrowed money to cover fares.
45% cannot afford monthly or annual bus passes, and are forced to rely on more expensive daily or weekly tickets.
Families who purchase daily tickets can pay up to 40% more each year than families who can afford passes.
12% of parents said their child has missed school because they could not afford the bus fare.
55% reported their child has been late due to bus unreliability, and 23% reported absence due to unreliable services.
73% said affordable, safe and reliable travel would influence them to consider a wider range of secondary schools.
“We’ve got no choice but to make it work”
For families in areas with long journeys, unsafe routes, or limited walking and cycling infrastructure, the bus is not a preference. It is the only realistic option. But when fares are high, services are overcrowded, or buses do not turn up, the impact lands on children first.
Parents also told us that transport problems restrict children’s ability to take part in enrichment activities, after-school clubs and wider school opportunities. School becomes narrower, not bigger.
Lewis Smith, local parent and Class Divide campaigner, said:
“My wife and I wanted to buy our kids an annual bus pass back in September, but it was over £900 and we just couldn’t afford it. We’re always trying to do the right thing for them, and the headteacher's letters remind us every time how missing even a few days of school can really affect their exams, so we know how important it is.
But there’s no safe way for them to walk or cycle, so we rely on the bus. That means we've got no choice but to make it work, and that has put a strain on our family, making us struggle just so we can get them to school. I’m on a low income but can’t get the lowest price, how is that fair?”
Headteachers are warning about attendance, learning and school budgets
Headteachers we spoke to described transport as a daily barrier, not a side issue. When students arrive late, miss lessons, or cannot get to key moments like exams, the cost is real and lasting.
Jack Davies, Headteacher at Brighton Aldridge Community Academy, said:
“Our students are clear: the cost of getting to school is one of the biggest barriers to attending regularly. Every Friday, absence rises because families have simply run out of money for fares.
We see the consequences of high and unreliable transport costs week in, week out, in attendance, punctuality and students’ readiness to learn, and this is not unique to my school.
The impact on attainment is real and lasting, with students facing the longest journeys hit hardest. If we are serious about equity in education, affordable school travel must be treated as essential infrastructure, not an optional extra.”
Rachelle Otulakowski, Headteacher at Longhill High School, said:
“School budgets are already stretched to breaking point. They cannot be expected to absorb the extra staffing costs created by a poorly planned transport system that fails the students who need it most.
No headteacher should ever have to divert staff from teaching to collect pupils who cannot reach an exam or a lesson because buses are unreliable or unaffordable, yet that is the reality we face. We do it because we refuse to give up on our young people.
Every headteacher in our city deserves a transport policy that works with us, not against us, and a system that puts disadvantaged students first so every child has a fair chance to succeed.”
What needs to happen now
Brighton and Hove has a clear choice. If we want fair access to education, school travel has to be treated as essential infrastructure.
This report recommends six practical steps:
1) Introduce affordable school travel options
Provide free home to school bus travel for children eligible for Free School Meals and Pupil Premium, and introduce a “lowest price” guarantee so all families can access the cheapest available fare.
2) Improve bus reliability and capacity
Work with transport providers to reduce overcrowding, increase frequency at peak school times, and improve monitoring of reliability. If this cannot be achieved, the council should explore bringing buses back into public ownership.
3) Support attendance and punctuality measures
Develop targeted support for pupils experiencing lateness or absence linked to travel issues, including emergency fare support.
4) Address inequalities in school access
Ensure travel considerations are embedded in admissions and planning, so families, especially in disadvantaged areas, can make school choices without transport barriers.
5) Continue ongoing monitoring and engagement
Collect and share data on attendance and outcomes relative to travel mode and distance, and use it to inform education and transport policy.
6) Make walking and cycling safer
Invest in better lighting, safer crossings and protected cycling infrastructure on key school routes.
Carlie Goldsmith, co-founder of Class Divide, said:
“Brighton & Hove City Council must urgently fix the school travel affordability crisis. Getting to school should build confidence and opportunity, not block them. High fares, unreliable buses and safety concerns are harming attendance, limiting school choice and widening inequality.
Free travel for the poorest families and the lowest possible fares for all are essential to ensure every child in the city can access education fairly. If this cannot be delivered under the current contracts, the council must explore every available option to provide affordable, direct and safe routes to school.”
How we did this
Between July and September 2025, Class Divide distributed an online survey through social networks, community groups and local secondary school newsletters. We also took paper copies into community spaces in Whitehawk.
258 parents and carers responded, with children attending all 10 secondary schools in the city.
We then held three group discussions in October 2025 with parents, carers, school leaders and staff at City Academy Whitehawk, Brighton Aldridge Community Academy and Longhill High School.
This research offers insights from just under 300 families and is not representative of every family in the city, but we believe the patterns are strong and should be acted on.
Read the report and share it
If you are sharing on social, you can use this line:
One in three parents in Brighton and Hove are going without essentials or borrowing money to pay school bus fares. New Class Divide report calls for free travel for FSM and Pupil Premium pupils, and lowest-price fares for all.