School Run Cost Splitter

Start by entering the school's postcode — this determines the region and adjusts costs for London, the South East, or the rest of the UK. Then add each participating household with their home postcode, number of children, and how many days per week they need the school run.

You need at least 2 households (and can add up to 6). The calculator estimates each household's distance to school from their postcode.

Select the vehicle type that best matches the car doing the school run — this sets the fuel efficiency and per-mile running costs. If you know your actual fuel efficiency, enter it in the override field.

Set the planning horizon to match your arrangement: 1 month for a trial, 3 months for a half-term, 6 months for a full term, or 12 months for the academic year.

Choose how to split costs: distance-weighted (further families pay more), trip-weighted (more school-run days = higher share), or equal split (everyone pays the same).

After clicking Calculate Costs, you'll see:

• Savings card — your solo cost vs shared cost, annual savings, and CO₂ reduction
• Planning summary — monthly, annual, and weekly cost for your household
• Allocation comparison — your cost under all three split methods, so you can pick the fairest one
• Cost split table — detailed breakdown for every household with a total row
• Cost breakdown bars — fuel, insurance, maintenance, and depreciation as percentages
• Rotation plan — a 12-week driving schedule with per-week costs
• Vehicle & fuel details — the assumptions behind the numbers

Once everyone agrees on a split method, use the CSV export to create a shared document. Include:

• Each household's monthly contribution
• The driving rotation schedule
• The vehicle type and fuel price assumptions used
• A date to review and re-run (e.g. start of next term)

For a broader view of school-related costs beyond transport, try the School Cost Readiness Calculator. To check your overall household transport budget, use the Commute Cost Calculator.

Distance-weighted allocation charges families proportionally to how far they live from school. This can feel unfair if one family lives much further but uses fewer school-run days.

In that case, consider trip-weighted allocation instead — it charges based on how many days each family actually uses the shared run. Or use the allocation comparison card to find a compromise.

Some groups use a hybrid approach: split fuel costs by distance (since fuel correlates with miles driven) but split running costs equally (since insurance and depreciation accrue regardless of who drives).

Most people think of fuel as the main driving cost, but it's typically only 40-55% of the total. The full cost per mile includes:

• Fuel — varies by vehicle type, efficiency, and current prices
• Insurance — 7-9p per mile, spread across your annual mileage
• Maintenance — 4-6p per mile for tyres, servicing, and repairs
• Depreciation — 10-15p per mile for the loss in vehicle value

For a medium petrol car, the total is typically 50-65p per mile. Electric vehicles are cheaper to fuel but have higher depreciation. These benchmarks come from DfT vehicle running cost statistics.

Driving costs vary across the UK. London residents face higher insurance premiums, congestion, and parking costs. The calculator applies regional multipliers from ONS transport statistics:

• London: 1.2× — 20% higher than the UK average
• South East: 1.1× — 10% higher
• Rest of UK: 1.0× — baseline

The multiplier adjusts estimated journey distances (since urban distances tend to be shorter but more expensive per mile due to congestion). It's applied based on the school's postcode. Use the Fuel Cost Trip Calculator for precise route-level fuel estimates.