s 55 Provision of transport and other facilities.
(1) A local education authority shall make such arrangements for the provision of transport and otherwise as they consider necessary or as the Secretary of State may direct for the purpose of facilitating the attendance of persons receiving education— (a) at schools, (b) at any institution maintained or assisted by them which provides higher education or further education (or both), (c) at any institution within the further education sector, or (d) at any institution outside the further education sector and higher education sector, where a further education funding council has secured provision for those persons at the institution under section 4(3) or (5) of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992; and any transport provided in pursuance of such arrangements shall be provided free of charge. (2) A local education authority may pay the whole or any part, as the authority think fit, of the reasonable travelling expenses of any person receiving education at any school or any such institution as is mentioned in subsection (1) above for whose transport no arrangements are made under this section. (3) In considering whether or not they are required by subsection (1) above to make arrangements in relation to a particular person , the local education authority shall have regard (amongst other things) to the age of the person and the nature of the route, or alternative routes, which he could reasonably be expected to take and to any wish of his parent for him to be provided with education at a school or institution in which the religious education provided is that of the religion or denomination to which his parent adheres (4) Arrangements made by a local education authority under subsection (1) above shall make provision— (a) for pupils at grant-maintained schools which is no less favourable than the provision made in pursuance of the arrangements for pupils at schools maintained by a local education authority, (b) for persons receiving full-time education at any institution within the further education sector which is no less favourable than the provision made in pursuance of the arrangements for pupils of the same age at schools maintained by a local education authority, and (c) for persons receiving full-time education at institutions mentioned in subsection (1)(d) above which is no less favourable than the provision made in pursuance of the arrangements— (i) for persons of the same age with learning difficulties (within the meaning of section 41(9) of this Act) at schools maintained by a local education authority, or (ii) where there are no such arrangements, for such persons for whom the authority secures the provision of education at any other institution. (5) Regulations under section 8(5) of the Education Act 1980 may require publication, within the meaning of that section, by every local education authority of such information as may be required by the regulations with respect to the authority’s policy and arrangements for provision under this section for persons attending institutions mentioned in subsection (1)(c) or (d) above who are over compulsory school age and who have not attained the age of nineteen years.