School Transport Terms & Conditions

All applications are processed and eligibility is determined in line with the rules of the Department of Education School Transport Schemes.
All passenger tickets are issued subject to bye-laws, regulations and conditions contained in the publications and notices of or applicable to Bus Éireann.
Request of a ticket is deemed to imply acceptance of these conditions.
Request of a ticket does not guarantee a seat on a School Transport Service. Those not accommodated will have their payment refunded once seating has been fully allocated.
No pupil will be allowed to travel without a current valid School Transport Travel Ticket.
Any application for a refund where a ticket has been purchased and received but is then not required, must be submitted online and the School Transport Travel Ticket must be returned to your local Bus Éireann School Transport Office (with the exception of those who cannot be catered for due to lack of accommodation).
School Transport Travel Tickets are not transferable.
School Transport Travel Tickets must be carried at all times when travelling and must be produced for inspection by the driver or any authorised official of Bus Éireann. School Transport Travel Tickets must be surrendered to an authorised company official upon request, and in any event at the end of the School Term.
School Transport Travel Tickets are only valid for travel between the locations indicated on the ticket.
School Transport Travel Tickets may only be used for travel to and from school on school days during the School Term.

The Terms & Conditions which apply to the purchase of tickets issued under the School Transport Scheme may be amended at any time at the discretion of Bus Éireann and/or the Department of Education.

Primary School Transport Scheme

The Primary School Transport Scheme supports the transport to and from school of children who reside not less than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest national school, having regard to language and ethos.

For the purposes of school transport provision, ethos relates to the religious ethos of minority religion schools, while language relates to the Irish or English language. In practice this means that:

Children who, for reasons of their religious ethos, choose to attend their nearest minority religion denominational school 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

Full details of the Primary School Transport Scheme can be found here.

Post Primary School Transport Scheme Information

The Post Primary School Transport Scheme supports the transport to and from school of children who reside not less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest post-primary education centre/school.

Under the terms of the Department's Post-Primary School Transport Scheme children may be eligible for transport where they reside 4.8 kilometres or more from their nearest education centre, subject to limited exceptions relating to ethos and language. While it is the prerogative of parents to send their children to the post-primary school of their choice, eligibility for school transport at post primary level is to the nearest education centre/school, subject to limited exceptions.

For the purposes of school transport provision, ethos relates to the religious ethos of minority religion schools, while language relates to the Irish or English language. In practice this means that:

Children who, for reasons of their religious ethos, choose to attend their nearest minority religion denominational school 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.

Full details of the Post Primary School Transport Scheme can be found here.

Transport for Children with Special Education Needs

The purpose of the scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children with special educational needs arising from a diagnosed disability.

Application forms should be completed and signed by the parent, school principal and the Special Education Needs Organiser. Please visit the Department of Education’s own website for more details.

Full details of the Scheme can be found here.

Data Protection

Bus Éireann adheres to the principles of the Data Protection Act, 1988 & 2003 when collecting, processing, storing and disclosing personal data.

Bus Éireann is the Data Controller with regard to personal data collected for school transport applications. Applicants may access their personal data following an access request under S.4 of the Data Protection Acts 1988 and 2003.

The personal data collected from you will be used by Bus Éireann to provide and manage school transport services in accordance with the terms of the school transport schemes. Bus Éireann may share your data with Third Parties solely for the purpose of providing and managing the school transport services. Personal data will be retained by Bus Éireann for the period during which school transport services are provided and for a further period of up to 6 years.

Terms and Conditions

School Transport Terms and Conditions