Taxi for “one address only” policies

Scottish government minister, Mairi McAllan, confirmed yesterday, there is no law or government policy that requires local authorities to hold a “one address only” policy rationing access to assistance with travel to school for children who live across two homes.

Answering a written question by SNP MSP, Fulton Macgregor, [whether the Scottish Government will review the guidance provided to local authorities on home-to-school transport policies, to ensure that children who live across more than one residence are not disadvantaged compared with those living at a single address] the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic, replied that the government updated its school transport guidance in December 2025.

“The guidance makes clear there is no legislative barrier to prevent councils from taking account within school transport arrangements the needs of pupils who live in more than one household during the school week.”

Shared Parenting Scotland Chief Executive, Kevin Kane, says, “We pressed hard in the consultation last year that the previous guidelines were out of date, and out of touch with the lived reality of many children at our schools. This is an issue that comes up in our casework. It isn’t right that a scheme designed to help otherwise eligible children to reach school fit and ready to learn can be withheld on an arbitrary basis that makes one of a child’s homes – and one of their parents – invisible to the system. That isn’t good for a child’s view of his or her own family life. It isn’t fair and we doubt if it is UNCRC compliant. We will keep pressing the issue.”

In April this year Shared Parenting Scotland published the results of Freedom of Information requests to Scotland’s local authorities on their assistance with travel to school policies.

Fifteen councils replied that they operate an explicit “one address only” policy.

Seven further councils have “discretionary” policies or impose restrictive criteria for accepting two addresses such as evidence of a court order. Scottish Government preference is for separating parents to reach their own agreements rather fight in court. Many co-parents who heed that advice will never have a court order.

Eight councils, however, (Moray, Orkney, East Renfrewshire, North Ayrshire, Renfrewshire, Glasgow, Highland, and Fife) have a policy that explicitly accommodates shared parenting within their general eligibility criteria. If eight can do it …

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