School Transport

What is the School Transport Scheme?
Can my child get transport to school?
How do I apply?
Will I have to pay for school transport?
When is a school transport service set up?
How can I get a school bus service for my area?
What happens if my child is eligible for transport but there is no school bus service in my area?
How far will my child have to travel to a bus pick-up point?
Who is responsible for getting my child to the bus pick-up point?
How long should my child's journey take?
I am not happy with the school transport decision - can I appeal?
Where can I find more information on the school transport scheme?

What is the School Transport Scheme?

The School Transport Scheme is for children who live a long way from school and who might have difficulty in attending school.
Bus Éireann operates the school bus service on behalf of the Department of Education and Science.

Can my child get transport to school?

It depends where your child lives. The country is divided into school transport catchment areas. To be eligible for school transport, a child must live 4.8 kilometres or more from the post-primary school in his or her catchment area. To find out if your child is eligible and which catchment area you are in, contact the Transport Liaison Officer (TLO) at your local Vocational Education Committee (VEC) office. You'll find contact details for TLOs here.
If your child wants to attend a school that is not in your local catchment area or if your child lives less than 4.8 kilometres from the post primary school in his or her catchment area, talk to your TLO.  Your child may be able to avail of concessionary post primary transport if there is space on the bus.

How do I apply?

You must complete an application form (Form N) when your child enrols in post-primary school. The school will send the form to the Transport Liaison Officer (TLO) at the local Vocational Education Committee (VEC) office.
You can also ask your local TLO for a Form N.

Will I have to pay for school transport?

Most people have to pay. However, you may not have to pay if you have a medical card.

When is a school transport service set up?

A school transport service may be set up when there are at least seven children living in the same area, as long as this can be done at a reasonable cost.

How can I get a school bus service for my area?

The Transport Liaison Officer at the local Vocational Educational Committee office will decide if a new service is needed based on the number of applications.

What happens if my child is eligible for transport, but there is no bus service in my area?

You may be able to get a grant towards the cost of private transport. This grant will only be considered if:

• your child is eligible for transport;
• there is no existing service; and
• it is not possible to provide a suitable transport service.

How far will my child have to travel to a bus pick-up point?

Your child should not have to travel more than 3.2 kilometres to a pick-up point. If you don't know where your nearest pick-up point is or if the distance to your nearest pick-up-point is more than 3.2 kilometres, you should contact your Transport Liaison Officer.

Who is responsible for getting my child to the bus pick-up point?

You are responsible for making sure that your child arrives safely at the bus pick-up point.

How long should my child's journey take?

Your child's journey (travel and waiting time) should not take more than 2.5 hours. If the journey takes more than 2.5 hours, contact your Transport Liaison Officer.

I am not happy with the school transport decision - can I appeal?

If you feel the decision of the School Transport Section did not follow the rules of the school transport scheme, you can appeal to an independent Appeals Board. You will have to complete an appeals form. You can get this from your child's school, your local Transport Liaison Officer or Bus Éireann School Transport Office, or on the Department's website here.

Where can I find more information on the school transport scheme?

For more information on the Post-primary Pupil Transport Scheme, click here. 

Contact details for Bus Éireann are available here.