Final dates for SCHOOL TRANSPORT payment/entering medical cards

https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/services/school-transport/

School Transport Scheme services for the 2025/2026 school year - important dates.

Applications for school transport for the 2025/26 school year

Bus Éireann’s on-line application portal is now open

How to apply

You can apply on-line to Bus Éireann at www.buseireann.ie/schools or click here Bus Éireann Portal.

You can apply and pay or enter medical card details at the same time.

The closing date for payments or entering medical card details is Friday, 6 June 2025.

Who needs to apply

• Students who have never applied for school transport.
• Students starting junior infants or first year for the first time in the 2025/26 school year.
• Students changing home address or moving school in the 2025/26 school year.

If you apply after the closing date, your application will be late and you may not get a ticket.

Payment facility for 2025/26 now open

You must submit payment or medical card details if you are:

• A new applicant
• A pupil who has used school transport before and needs a seat for the 2025/26 school year

The closing date for payments or entering medical card details is Friday, 6 June 2025.

If you make a payment or enter medical card details after this date, it will be late, and you may not get a ticket.

School transport ticket charges

The annual charges for School Transport services for the 2025/26 school year are:

Medical card holders

Children who are eligible for school transport and have a valid medical card (GMS Scheme) do not have to pay the annual fee. However, the medical card details must be submitted to the Bus Éireann Portal by 6 June 2025.

If you submit medical card details after this date it will late and you may not get a ticket.

Temporary Portal Closure

The Bus Éireann family portal will close for 3 weeks starting on 7 June 2025. This will give Bus Éireann time to plan for the new school year.

Bus Éireann contact details

Bus Éireann runs the School Transport Scheme for the Department of Education. They have a dedicated customer care call centre to help families with school transport questions.

If you have any questions, you can call the centre at LoCall 0818 919 910. The phone lines are open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday.

You can also submit your questions to Bus Éireann online.

School Transport Section contact details

If you wish to contact the School Transport Section you can submit an online Customer Contact Form

Eligibility criteria

The eligibility criteria for School Transport for the 2025/26 school year is as follows:

Children are eligible for school transport if they meet the following criteria:

• Primary Level: They live at least 3.2 km from their nearest national school, as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, considering the school's ethos and language.
• Post-Primary Level: They live at least 4.8 km from their nearest post-primary school or education centre, as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, considering the school's ethos and language.

Eligible children who complete the application and payment process on time will get a seat on a school bus service, if a service is available.

Children who are not eligible for school transport but complete the application and payment process on time will be considered for any spare seats available after eligible children have been accommodated. These spare seats are called concessionary seats.

There may be more demand than availability for concessionary seats. In such cases, Bus Éireann will use an agreed selection process to allocate tickets for the spare seats.

Temporary alleviation measures will continue for the 2025/26 school year. This means that, if there are available services and enough capacity, transport will be provided for concessionary pupils who are eligible for transport to their nearest school but are attending their second nearest school or post-primary centre. This is only if they apply and pay on time.