Applications for the School Transport Scheme 2023-2024 closed on 28 April 2023. The closing date for entering medical card details or payment for tickets was 9 June 2023.
Closing dates are necessary to allow Bus Eireann to process applications, arrange transport, to assess all applications and determine eligibility prior to issuing tickets before the school year.
There is a late application process. You may still apply for school transport following the application closing date. Any application completed after the closing date or any payment/medical card details submitted after the closing date is a ‘late application’. If your application is late you may not secure a seat on a service.
Applications can be made by visiting the Bus Éireann family portal at buseireann.ie/schooltransport
Bus Éireann delivers the School Transport Scheme on behalf of the Department of Education. Bus Éireann have put in place a dedicated customer care call centre and a Contact Form on buseireann.ie/schooltransport to assist families specifically with School Transport queries. Families who have queries can contact the call centre on: LoCall 0818 919 910. Operating hours are 09.00 – 17.00 Monday to Friday
If families have queries relating to transport for children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) please access the contact details for the School Transport Section, Department of Education.
Eligible children holding valid medical cards and eligible children with special educational needs remain exempt from paying the annual charge.
The annual charge for School Transport Services for the 2023/24 school year is set out below:
| Category of pupil | Annual charge | |
| Primary Eligible/ Concessionary Pupil | €50 | |
| Post-primary Eligible Pupil/Concessionary Pupil | €75 | |
| Maximum Family Contribution | €125 |
The eligibility criteria for School Transport for the 2023/24 school year is as follows
- children are eligible for transport at primary level where they reside not less than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest national school, and at post-primary level where they reside not less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest post-primary school/education centre as determined by the department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language
- children who are eligible for school transport and who have completed the application and payment process on time will be accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation
- children who are not eligible for school transport, but who complete the application and payment process on time, will be considered for spare seats that may exist after eligible children have been facilitated; such seats are referred to as concessionary seats
- because of the nature of concessionary transport for non-eligible children and the priority of providing places for eligible children, there may be an excess of demand over supply for concessionary places, in these cases Bus Éireann will allocate tickets for spare seats using an agreed selection process
- in addition, temporary alleviation measures will continue for the 2023/24 school year. This means that transport will be provided where such services are in operation and there is capacity to do so, for concessionary post-primary pupils who are eligible for transport to their nearest school and are attending their second nearest school and who applied and paid on time
The Department of Education and Bus Éireann will continue to provide School Transport Scheme services for children arriving to Ireland from Ukraine. Applications continue to be received on a daily basis as families are relocated or as new families arrive. Every effort is being made to ensure school transport services are up and running as they are required, it may in some cases take time to arrange services for families. Full information on the process is available on gov.ie/Ukraine and is available in Ukrainian, English and Russian.
Bus Éireann operates the school transport schemes on behalf of the Department of Education.
As part of the scheme, transport is provided to and from school for:
- children who reside remote from their nearest primary and post-primary school
- children with special educational needs
The primary school transport scheme supports the transport to and from school of children who live more than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest primary school.
Please see further information on the scheme, including eligibility criteria, below:
The post-primary school transport scheme supports the transport to and from school of children who live more than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest post-primary education centre/school. It is subject to the following exceptions:
- children who choose to attend their nearest minority religious denominational school due to religious ethos may be eligible for school transport to that school, even if it is not their nearest school
- children who choose to attend their nearest all-Irish school/unit may be eligible for school transport to that school/unit, even if it is not their nearest school
- children who choose to attend their nearest all-English school/unit may be eligible for school transport to that school/unit, even if it is not their nearest school
Please see further information on the scheme, including eligibility criteria, below:
Applications for the School Transport Primary and/or Post Primary scheme must be submitted online via Bus Éireann’s website through their family portal. Only new pupils need to apply, or those who change address/school. A child who is eligible for school transport continues in the scheme if there is no change in their circumstances.
The closing date for applications is usually the last Friday in April for the following school year. It is important to check buseireann.ie for updates on the opening and closing dates of the family portal.
There is a late application process. You may still apply for school transport following the application closing date. Any application completed after the closing date is a ‘late application’. If your application is late you may not secure a seat on a service.
Eligibility can only be determined at the time of assessment. ‘’Late applications’’ will only be assessed after all “on time” applications have been processed. Please note that there is no guarantee of seats on services for late applicants. To use School Transport Scheme Services, pupils must be in possession of a valid ticket for travel.
Should your circumstances change during the academic year, a new application will have to be assessed. A new school transport application form must be submitted on Bus Éireann’s website as your old ticket will no longer be valid.
There is no direct application form for a Remote Area Grant. An assessment for a Remote Area Grant can only be made once eligibility for the School Transport scheme has been determined following an application for school transport through Bus Éireann’s website. Further information in relation to applications can be found on Bus Éireann’s website.
Remote area grants are payable by the department as a contribution towards private transport arrangements for eligible pupils for whom no transport service is available. These grants may also be paid for eligible pupils who live 3.2km or more from the nearest pick-up point for school transport.
An application for transport must be submitted for each subsequent child requiring transport, even in cases where the family is already in receipt of the Remote Area Grant.
Should your circumstances change during the academic year, a new application will have to be assessed. A new school transport application form must be submitted on Bus Éireann’s website as your old ticket will no longer be valid.
Please access further information on the Remote Area Grant below.
If you have applied to attend your nearest school in regards to ethos and language and have been advised by the school authorities that it is full, the department will consider if you are eligible to the next nearest school.
Please provide the following documentary evidence as proof:
- an application for enrolment that was made within the deadline dates specified by the school, and
- a letter from the school authorities confirming that the school was full at time of enrolment
Individual queries may be addressed to school_transport@education.gov.ie
The school transport scheme supports the transport to and from school of children with special educational needs that come from a diagnosed disability.
Eligibility is determined following consultation with the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) through its network of Special Education Needs Organisers (SENO).
Application forms should be completed and signed by the parent, school principal and the SENO.
Change of address or new school
In instances where a child is changing home address and/or school, a new application should be made by the school principal to the SENO.
Please access further information on the scheme, including eligibility criteria, below.
In order to apply please open the document below.
A parent/guardian may avail of a Special Transport Grant (STG) for a child with special educational needs. A school transport application under the scheme must have been made before a Special Transport Grant (STG) can be considered.
Where the provision of a reasonable level of transport service is not possible, Special Transport Grant (STG) towards the cost of private transport arrangements may be provided by the department on the basis outlined below:
- Bus Éireann is not in a position to arrange a reasonable level of service for the child
- the Special Education Needs Organiser (SENO) by reference to relevant professional reports or through information supplied by the relevant school authority, is satisfied that the nature of the child’s disability is such that he or she would be unable to avail of a time-tabled school bus service which picks up other children along the route
- the rate of grant payable is calculated as follows; 39.12 cent per kilometre for the first 6,437 kilometres and 21.22 cent per kilometre thereafter
Grants are subject to periodic review and may be varied or withdrawn where circumstances change.
The Special Transport Grant is sanctioned from the date of application. Retrospective payments are not a feature of the Special Transport Grant.
A Special Transport Interim Grant may be available to families of children with special educational needs who, following the application process, are eligible under the terms of the school transport scheme and are awaiting a School Transport service to be put in place.
This grant is a once off payment. The interim grant is offered from the date of application to assist with the cost of private transport arrangements the family had put in place until a transport service is ready to commence.
Families should contact School Transport Section at: school_transport@education.gov.ie for more information on this Special Transport Interim Grant.
Bus Escorts are employed on board a school transport service provided through Bus Éireann where the child’s care and safety needs while on board the school transport are such as they require the support of an escort.
The School Management Authority employs the School Bus Escort.
Queries regarding bus escorts should be directed to the School Management Authorities.
Summer Programme offers learning support for a set period during the school summer holidays to children with special educational needs.
Schools running the Summer Programme are required to register the children requiring school transport. Transport for the Summer Programme is provided for children who are participating in the school based programme, are eligible for school transport for children with special educational needs and are currently on a service. Where services are not available for pupils who normally avail of transport under this scheme, grant funding is payable to eligible parents/guardians following completion of the summer programme.
Special transport arrangements on medical grounds may be considered by the department. In order to apply for school transport on medical grounds, please access the following link: School Transport - Application for School Transport on Medical Grounds.
If your application for school transport has been refused, you are entitled to appeal the decision to the School Transport Appeals Board
The Board is independent in the performance of its functions but acts in accordance with (a) its Terms of Reference as determined by the Minister and (b) a set of Operating Procedures.
The types of decisions that may be appealed are as follows:
- decisions made by or on behalf of the Department of Education under the terms of the Primary/Post Primary School Transport Scheme and the School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs
- decisions made by or on behalf of the department under the various grant schemes for school transport
- decisions made by Bus Éireann under the Guidelines for Discipline and Procedures for Dealing with Alleged Misbehaviour on School Transport but excluding cases deemed by Bus Éireann to involve serious misconduct or behaviour which poses a threat to the safety and well-being of pupils and/or the driver or to the safe operation of the service generally
- parents or pupils who are over 18 years of age may appeal a decision made by Department of Education under the terms of the school transport schemes or grant aid under the terms of the school transport schemes
It is the role of the Board to ensure that the terms of the School Transport Scheme are applied correctly.
To appeal a decision by the Department of Education/Bus Éireann, please use the following link: School Transport Appeals Board
- address: Department of Education, School Transport, Portlaoise Road, Tullamore, Co Offaly, R35 Y2NS
- email: school_transport@education.gov.ie
| Telephone | County |
| 0579325469 | General |
| 0579325467 | General |
| 0579325466 | General |
| 0579324468 | General |
| 0579325366 | General |
| 0579324482 | Sligo, Limerick, Mayo |
| 0579325461, 0579324414, 0579324459 | Dublin |
| 0579325462, 0579324397 | Cork |
| 0579325436 | Monaghan, Wexford |
| 0579325458 | Carlow, Laois, Wicklow |
| 0579325465 | Donegal, Kerry, Longford |
| 0579325457 | Kilkenny |
| 0579325460 | Galway, Roscommon, Tipperary |
| 0579324454 | Offaly, Clare, Cavan |
| 0579324360 | Kildare, Louth, Waterford |
| 0579325455 | Leitrim, Westmeath, Meath |