Primary school transport scheme

Rules

Who is eligible?

In order to qualify for school transport, a child must be aged between 4 and 12 years and living more than 3.2 km (2 miles) from the nearest suitable national school.

Children with special needs are also eligible for free transport to and from special schools and to special classes.

If there are spare seats available, children who are not eligible can be carried on school transport, but they pay more than eligible children – see ‘Rates’ below.

Schools

The Department of Education and Skills decides what the nearest suitable school is. If a child is attending a school that has more than one teacher and there is a one-teacher school nearer the home, that fact will not usually disqualify the child from using the school transport scheme.

Children attending multi-denominational schools or Gaelscoileanna (Irish-speaking schools) are eligible if they meet the distance requirements to their school. They are not disqualified because there is another national school nearer to them. There are also special arrangements for Protestant children attending Protestant schools and children living in remote areas.

Pick-up points

The scheme is not a door-to-door service. Parents/guardians are responsible for bringing their children to the nearest pick-up point to avail of the service. Generally routes are planned so pupils don't have to travel more than 2.4 km (1.5 miles) to their nearest pick-up point.

If there is no school transport service available, you may be able to get a grant towards the costs of private transport for a child who cannot get to school without transport due to an illness or disability.

Establishing and retaining a school transport service

There must be enough children to use the service. This means that there must be a daily average (over a school term) of at least a certain number of eligible children in a distinct area attending their nearest suitable school.

With effect from the school year 2011/2012, this number will be 10. At present, the minimum number is 7 and there are special arrangements for smaller numbers of children who are living 4.8 km (or further) away from the school. These arrangements are being withdrawn at the end of 2010/2011.

Closed or merged schools

School year 2010/2011:

If 2 or more primary schools merge, the children for whom the closed school would have been the nearest can only have transport to the school that is the result of the merger. At present, under the Central/Closed School Rule (CSR), some children living less than 3.2 km from such a ‘school of amalgamation’ are eligible for school transport.

School year 2011/2012:

With effect from the school year 2011/2012 the following new rules will apply:

• Children in a closed school area who are living within 3.2 km from a ‘school of amalgamation’ will no longer be eligible for transport to that school, but they may apply for concessionary transport if there are seats available
• Current pupils who are eligible for transport under the CSR and who live 3.2 km or more from their school of amalgamation will remain eligible for the rest of their primary schooling

School year 2012/2013:

With effect from the 2012/2013 school year, eligibility based on the CSR will cease for all new pupils entering primary schools. This may mean that where there is now an open school that is nearer than the school of amalgamation, siblings in some families may have school transport eligibility to different schools from the 2012/2013 school year onward.

The Department of Education and Skills publishes detailed information on the conditions governing the primary school transport scheme. This document describes the current situation (for the school year 2010/2011) and should be read in conjunction with the advance notice of the changes for 2011/2012.

The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport publishes advice for parents and schools in relation to authorised bus operators and taxis (pdf).

Children with special needs are also eligible for free transport to and from special schools and to special classes.