Applications and Payments for School Year 2026/2027
The School Transport Family Portal is now open for payments and applications for the School Year 2026/27
The closing date is Friday May 8th for all applications and payments. The Family Portal will close for a period thereafter.
Bus Éireann would like to remind customers that the Family Portal web site is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There are occasions when our website experiences very high demand. We ask customers to try again at a later time and we thank you for your patience.
Details for payments for the 2026/2027 School Year are as follows;
Primary School Transport: €100 per child
For Account Holders with 3 or more children in the Primary School Transport scheme, a maximum family charge of €200 will apply.
Post Primary School Transport: €100 per child
For Account Holders with 3 or more children in the Post Primary School Transport scheme, a maximum family charge of €220 will apply.
The maximum family payment that will apply is €220
As before, Payments/medical card details must be submitted for:
- new applicants and;
- pupils who have previously applied/availed of school transport and require a seat on a service for the 26/27 school year.
Children (who are eligible for school transport) and who possess valid medical cards (GMS Scheme) are exempt from paying the annual charge however, their medical card details must be submitted to Bus Éireann through the Family Portal payments section.
School Transport Scheme Review
A review of the School Transport Scheme has been completed by the Department of Education and Youth. This review was conducted with a view to examining the current scheme, its broader effectiveness, and sustainability and to ensure it services students and their families adequately. The School Transport Scheme 2030 report has now been published, which marks the largest review of the School Transport Scheme since it was established in 1967. The Government is committed to working to achieve the report’s recommendation of expanding access to the scheme so that an additional 100,000 pupils can be carried by 2030. Throughout the review, the value of the School Transport Scheme to both families and in supporting wider Government policies has been very apparent. In summary, school transport not only plays an important part in supporting children’s access to education, but it also aligns to wider Government objectives.
Overall, the recommended changes to the future operation of the Scheme concern:
- Expansion of the current eligibility criteria,
- addressing current operational challenges,
- charges and grants and
- over time, moving towards better integration with public transport to ensure optimum value for money to the Exchequer.
A phased implementation of the review’s recommendations will commence in September 2024. This will include a shared effort between my Department and the Department of Transport to pilot and introduce greater integration of the roll out of transport networks with school transport routes, with a view to expanding provision of transport and reducing the reliance over time on individual car trips for school journeys. Please visit the Department of Education and Youth’s website. for more information.