Travel Choices

Learning to travel independently

What is Travel Choices? 

Surrey Choices, in partnership with Surrey County Council, support children and young people to travel independently and safely from home to a place of education through Travel Choices.  

How can Travel Choices help you?

Travel Choices will support you to gain independence to travel to school or college. Surrey Choices will work with you, and your family or Carers to create a Personal Travel Plan to support you to travel independently. We will work with you at every stage of your plan to find the best way for you to travel which could include:  

  • Walking
  • Getting a bus
  • Getting a train
  • Cycling

There are many benefits of this scheme including helping you to gain the right skills to travel safely between home and place of study or to simply go and see friends!

Who is Travel Choices for?

Travel Choices is for anyone who receives transport assistance from Surrey County Council to get to school or college. We can help you learn to travel on your own or with a friend.  

What are the benefits?  

Independent travel is a valuable life skill as well as an essential employment skill. It provides greater opportunities for you by increasing confidence in your abilities and reducing your dependence on family members. Some of the benefits include: 

  • Preparing you for adulthood 
  • Improving your confidence  
  • Increasing your independence 
  • Helping towards you finding and keeping a job 
  • Improving your health and wellbeing  
  • Teaching you problem solving skills  
  • Giving you new opportunities 
  • Helping you feel safe while travelling  
  • Enabling you to meet your friends, access college and courses and your community  
  • Helping you to do your bit for the environment 

What will you be doing?

Stage 1 – An assessment prior to the training – Your Travel Coach will complete a route assessment to and from your destination and will identify all the risks and hazards, safe points and landmarks. This is so the Personal Independent Training Plan is tailored around you and your needs. You will then have an assessment to find out what skills you have and what support you need. 

Stage 2 – Road safety and using public transport  – Your Travel Coach can build on the skills you already have to support you to be safe whilst out in the community. You and your travel coach will make the journey together looking at what you need to travel safely including, planning a route, crossing roads, and being aware of your surroundings to become confident traveller. You will learn useful skills like how to read timetables, pay for a ticket and use travel apps. 

Stage 3 – What if scenarios This will include scenarios such as if the bus breaks down or you lose your travel pass. The travel training covers general safety aspects as well as the ones specific to the journey. Once the Travel Coach is comfortable about your confidence in doing the journey, you can move to the next stage.   

Stage 4 – Shadowingfrom a distance –  Once you and your Travel coach are satisfied that you can complete the journey on your own, they will step back a little and you will begin to make sections of the journey by yourself. This is called ‘shadowing, the Travel Coach can stay in touch with you via your mobile or arrange to meet you at a part of the journey. 

Stage 5 – Keeping in touch with you After you have been travel trained and you have been signed off as an independent traveller Surrey Choices will check in with you to see if it is going well and to give you the opportunity to get in touch if you need any further support.

How do I get in touch? 

Click here to get in touch with our team  

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For more information about our services and activities simply call 01483 806806