Road Transporters Support Scheme

The Road Transporters Support Scheme (RTSS) is a package of supports directed at the road transport sector given its importance to the wider supply chain, businesses and communities throughout Ireland. The Scheme provides immediate financial support to help meet the challenges posed by increased fuel costs.

The Scheme will be open to both licensed road haulage operators and ‘own account’ road haulage operators, as well as licensed road passenger operators, subject to certain criteria.

The RTSS will be administered by the Department of Transport. Applications can be made between 12 noon on Wednesday 20 May 2026, and 12 noon on Friday 12 June 2026 by clicking on the application form button below.

Please make sure you have read the terms and conditions, the privacy notice, and the State Aid information before you begin your application.

Licensed road haulage operators and the own account sector can apply for support under the Scheme. Companies delivering their own goods to a customer using their own vehicles and drivers are referred to as the “own account” sector.

Licensed road passenger operators will also be eligible for support under the RTSS, for vehicles where they do not receive support via contractual arrangements for providing TFI Local Link or school transport services.

Please review the detailed terms and conditions to view the full eligibility criteria.

Support for operators of TFI Local Link services will be available through the National Transport Authority (NTA), and support for school transport services will be facilitated by the Department of Education and Youth (DEY).

These support mechanisms will be administered through contractual arrangements and do not need to be applied for separately under the RTSS.

The Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (DRCDG) supports island communities by providing subsidised ferry, cargo and air services between the islands and the mainland to ensure the continued viability of these communities. These contracts include a fuel price variation clause, and the application of the fuel price variation clause is a matter for that Department.

There are also several non-subsidised ferry services to the offshore islands, many of whom would operate on a seasonal basis. These non-subsidised ferry services to the offshore islands may be eligible for additional support from Government, subject to qualifying criteria. The Department of Transport is engaging with the DRCDG in relation to how this can be facilitated. DRCDG will determine the eligibility criteria for non-subsidised ferry operators. We will share those details as soon as possible.

All eligible vessels and operators will be required to have the appropriate certificates and licences issued by the Marine Survey Office (MSO) of the Department of Transport.

Queries in relation to the scheme can be directed to RTSS@transport.gov.ie. We anticipate there may be a large volume of queries, we will respond to your query as quickly as possible.

Please read the website information before submitting a query, note that queries on the Scheme that are submitted to any other Department of Transport mailbox will be redirected to the dedicated RTSS address.