CARMARTHENSHIRE parents with children heading to secondary school in September are being urged to act fast if they think they may be entitled to free travel.

Carmarthenshire County Council’s deadline for applications was brought forward to December 1- in line with the education department’s date for admissions- but the authority say the number of applications received is lower than expected.

Therefore parents with children moving from primary to secondary school that have not yet applied are being reminded to do so as a matter of urgency.

Anyone who leaves it too late could find that the bus nearest their home is already full and they would have to make their own way to a bus further away from their address or that they would not be allowed to travel on the bus for their “transition days” or that.

Also, if their application is refused and they want to go through the referral process, by leaving it much later they may find that their referral is not determined by the start of the new academic year.

Parents with children living in Carmarthenshire but moving to out of county secondary schools must apply in the same way and as soon as possible.

Executive Board Member for Transport Cllr Hazel Evans said: “The number of applications received has been lower than expected so we believe some parents may have been caught out by the earlier deadline.

“I would urge them to apply as soon as possible; as the sooner the applications come in the sooner the officers can establish the routes.”

You can find information on the council’s school transport policy and make an application at carmarthenshire.gov.wales/schooltransport