Dublin families are being reminded that they have a couple of days left to sign up for free school transport that could save them €500.
The Department of Education confirmed that fees are to be scrapped for the 2022/23 school year as part of a package of cost of living measures, with thousands of families entitled to saving €500 ahead of the upcoming school year. This week Bus Eireann issued a reminder to parents as their new application is due to close on Friday, July 29.
The families of around 121,000 children could benefit from the scheme for the upcoming school year, which is set to be one of the most expensive years for parents. To qualify for school transport, a child must be aged between 4 and 12 years and living 3.2 km or more away from their local school.
Read more: Pair arrested after gardai find suspected gun and drugs in Dublin
Bus Eireann's Chief School Officer Miriam Flynn has urged parents to get their applications in before the deadline on Friday. She said: "We have emailed all registered families this morning advising them of their next steps.
"The first thing they should do is to check their in-box. The email has a link to bring them directly to the new confirmation page on the website.
"It is fantastic to be able to offer free school transport for this coming school year. The system is a little different but very simple – it just requires people to click a button to request their ticket. We are urging them to log in to the portal as quickly as possible and get that confirmation in as tickets cannot issue without this request on the system," she added.
It comes as the Government announced earlier this month that the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance would be increased by €100 per child from August. The maximum charge for a family with children in primary school to go to school on the school transport scheme was to be €150, while the top fee for a family with children in secondary school, was €500, down from €650 as of February this year.
Parents are also reminded that if they have already made a payment for school transport, they do not need to do anything else and they will be refunded at the start of the school year. However, those who have applied but have not yet made a payment will still need to log in and request their ticket on the portal.
Children with special needs are also eligible for free transport to and from special schools and to special classes and if they are spare seats available, children who are not eligible can also be carried on school transport. For more information and to apply visit www.buseireann.ie.
Read Next:
- Social welfare Ireland: Parents fear Back to School Allowance not enough as cost of living soars
- August bank holiday: Social welfare and pension dates changed
- We bought this huge shopping list from special offers only in Tesco, Dunnes and Aldi and saved big off a weekly food shop
- All Irish homes now eligible for €600 electric vehicle charging grant
- Recession Ireland: European Central Bank raises interest rates by 0.5% as experts warn of slump
Sign up to the Dublin Live Newsletter to get all the latest Dublin news straight to your inbox
