Bus Eireann School Transport fares were made FREE for the school year beginning in Autumn 2022.
For the school year, beginning in Sept 2023 – the government is to reintroduce a fee (subject to caps) for school bus services.
Families will be asked to pay €50 each for primary school students and €75 for post primary, up to a capped maximum of €125 per family.
It is expected these fares will go back up in 2024.
Applications for Bus Eireann School Bus Tickets 2023/24:
Applications for Bus Eireann School Transport Tickets for new pupils starting Primary or Post Primary school in Aug/Sept 2023 are open since mid February 2023.
Only pupils starting school will need to apply. Existing pupils who currently hold tickets will be contacted about payments in July 2023.
The closing date for applications for new school bus tickets for the school year 2023/24 will be the end of April 2023.
Usually, late applications will be accepted but will not be guaranteed a seat.
Who is Eligible for School Transport?
- Primary children are eligible for transport if they live not less than 3.2 kms from and are attending their nearest national school .
- Post Primary children are eligible for transport where they reside not less than 4.8 kms from their nearest education centre .
The School Transport Scheme gives priority to eligible pupils, but “concessionary” tickets are allocated to other students if there are seats available.
Where the number of applications for school transport on a concessionary basis exceeds the number of seats available, Bus Éireann determines the allocation of tickets using a computerised random process. This year – because of the free tickets, it seems there have been a lot more applications and more pupils are being refused seats.
Cost of School Transport Fares
Bus fares were FREE in 2022/23.
Prior to 2022 the bus fares were as follows:
- For secondary school pupils, the charge was €350 per pupil . (Maximum per family of €500 )
- For primary school buses, the fare was €100 per pupil. (Maximum per family of €150 )
- There was an exemption for Medical Card holders.
For the school year 2023/24 the charges will be :
- €50 each for primary school students
- €75 for post primary.
- capped maximum of €125 per family.
You can apply online for your Bus Eireann school bus pass here.
Don’t forget to also apply for the Back to School Allowance
Contact numbers for local Bus Éireann School Transport Offices
For the summer months, Bus Éireann has introduced a new contact number for all school transport queries. You need to call 01 522 9991 from 9.00am to 5.00pm, Monday to Friday.
Local Office Numbers to Call outside Summer Months
Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow ,Meath 01 8302222
Louth, Monaghan, Cavan 042 682 5900
Westmeath, Longford, Offaly Roscommon, Laois 09064 73277
Mayo 096 71816
Cork 021 4557137
Clare, Tipperary (North), Limerick 061 217484
Galway 091 537530
Sligo, Leitrim 071 9160440
Donegal 074 9131008
Waterford, Tipperary (South), Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford 051 873401
Kerry 066 7164750
From www.buseireann.ie website