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Applications System for School Transport System 2024/25

Closing 26th April 2024

The School Transport Scheme


What it is

The School Transport Scheme is a government programme to support transport to and from school for children who reside remote from their nearest school. The scheme is operated by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education and Skills. This can be an invaluable resource for those who live far from their school, and is an helps to alleviate costs and transport issues for some parents! The ins, outs, and costs of applying are outlined below.

How it Works

Participating children are picked up from set locations provided by Bus Eireann and the Department of Education, and brought to and from the nearest national school available to them.
The cost per primary child is €50 for a full academic year of transport, but this is limited to €125 for families with primary school children only. Post-Primary transport will cost €75 per child, and the maximum cost per family is €125 per year.

The Bus Éireann family portal is now open to accept new applications until Friday the 26th April 2024 and to accept payments from new and reapplying families who requires a seat on a service for the 24/25 school year until Friday 7th June 2024. Previous applicants who are re-applying for the service for 2024/25 need to log in to their account on the Bus Eireann portal where they will see details of their children from the previous year and follow instructions to process payment for 2024/25
Payments made after the deadline date will be deemed late and families may not be guaranteed a seat at that stage. After payment is made, or the first instalment of payment, the tickets are mailed to the recipients.


How To Apply

Only new students need to apply, New Applications are considered as:

  • Pupils who will be attending junior infants in Primary School or first year in Post Primary School for the first time in 2024.
  • Pupils that may move home address or will be attending a new school in the 2024/25 school year

Applications for pupils with special educational needs (SEN) arising from a diagnosed disability should be made through the National Council For Special Education, which can be done Here.

Eligibility Criteria


The eligibility criteria for School Transport for the 2024/25 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 2024/25 school year and this means that transport will be provided for post-primary pupils who are eligible for transport to their nearest school and are attending their second nearest school and who apply and pay on time.

To apply, click the login/Register button on the Bus Eireann Website and follow the instructions given. A full walk-through of the application Process can be found here

After you Apply, your application will be reviewed by Bus Eireann and the Department of Education. In the event that your application is refused, an appeal process is available on www.schooltransportappeals.ie




School Transport Scheme Review

A review of the School Transport Scheme has been completed by the Department of Education.  This review was conducted with a view to examining the current scheme, its broader effectiveness, and sustainability and to ensure it services students and their families adequately. The School Transport Scheme 2030 report has now been published,

A phased implementation of the review’s recommendations will commence in September 2024. This will include a shared effort between my Department and the Department of Transport to pilot and introduce greater integration of the roll out of transport networks with school transport routes, with a view to expanding provision of transport and reducing the reliance over time on individual car trips for school journeys. It is intended subject to resources to commence implementing the revised eligibility criteria in the 2025/2026 school year. Please visit www.gov.ie/education for more information.

**NEW** From Tuesday 19th March the contact numbers for Bus Eireann School Transport will change to a Locall number covering all Bus Eireann School Transport regions. The number to contact Bus Eireann School Transport is 0818 919 910.

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