The new school year has just started - but parents may not know it is possible to get free transport to school for their children.
The law says that anyone who has to travel two miles or more to get to school should not have to pay.
The rules say all children between the ages of five and 16 can get free school travel if they go to their nearest suitable school.
They also have to live at least two miles from the school if they’re under eight, or three miles away if they're any older.
In London all travel for under-16s is free anyway.
Each local council is responsible for providing this sort of free transport, and you can find details of yours here.
Your child can also get free school transport for up to 15 miles if you get the maximum amount of Working Tax Credit or your kids get free school meals.
This applies to children aged eight to 11 if the school is at least two miles away or 11 to 16 if it's two to six miles away.
Children aged 11 to 16 can get free travel to schools between two to 15 miles away, provided its the nearest one that matches their religion or belief.
If your child has special educational needs or a disability then they can get free school transport no matter how far away you live from one.
Finally, children aged from five to 16 are allowed free transport to school if there is no safe way to walk there - regardless of the distance.
Transport costs for children over the age of 16
If your child is over 16 and in further education or sixth form, your local council may be able to help with transport costs. Each council has its own policy about this.
What you get
Each council has its own system, but normally your child would get a free pass for public transport or a space on a council vehicle, like a school bus.
The council gets to pick the sort of transport and route that is the best value for money.
The rules only let your child use the pass to go to and from school, on school days.
Some councils even say if your kid messes around on the trip that the pass will be cancelled.
How to apply for free school travel
The first thing to do is enter your postcode on a government website here.
You will then be shown your local council's process for getting free transport.
Your kid will need to file a passport photo, and if they get free school meals you may be asked to show evidence of that.
It takes around a month for councils to process these passes. If school starts before you get one, you can claim transport costs back afterwards if you're eligible.
We've also got advice on how to save on school uniform, the school uniform grant, here and free school meals, here.
