Will my child be collected from home?
It’s not practical for over 90,000 children to be collected from their home each day, but of course some may live on or adjacent to their bus route.
As per DE policy EA is not obliged to provide door to door transport and parents can be expected to get their child to/from a bus stop or collection point.
The distance to your bus stop should not exceed 2 miles for primary pupils and 3 miles for post primary pupils. If you are concerned the distance to your bus stop exceeds this, contact the Transport Service who will investigate further.
Where does my child collect their Translink pass?
Translinkpasses (Ulsterbus, Metro and NIR), and Ferry passes are delivered or sent recorded delivery to the school at the start of term. Pupils are required to sign for and collect their passes from the school office.No passes will be sent to the pupil's home address.
Please allow up to 20 working days for processing if you apply during the school year. If a pupil loses a Translink travel pass you should contact Translink for a replacement. A fee may be charged.
Can my child be collected/ dropped off at another address?
Applications for transport assistance to or from another address other than that of the registered parent is considered fraudulent and EA cannot facilitate collection/drop off from another address e.g. a childminders, after schools or grandparents.
What if my child lives in the Republic of Ireland?
Eligibility for pupils living in the Republic of Ireland is assessed on the same criteria as pupils who live in Northern Ireland, as identified in the Department of Education Circular 1996/41 (Link). However, whilst the route measured will be via the nearest available route from your home to the preferred school,the distance calculated will only be taken from the nearest suitable collection point in Northern Ireland on that route to the preferred school.
What if my child doesn’t need transport assistance any longer?
In the event of a pupil who is already in receipt of a Translink sessional pass or an EA bus pass, and no longer requires their pass, they must return their original pass to their attended school orLocal Transport Office.
What do I do if my child is moving to another different school to attend sixth form?
You must make a new application for transport assistance and you will be assessed in line with DE policy to the new school. You can check your eligibility here.
Pupils who attended a school without a sixth form and who wish to proceed to sixth form after year 12 must attempt to enroll at any/all suitable schools in their chosen category that are within the 3 mile qualifying distance prior to being granted transport assistance to a further away school.
What if I want my child to go to a fee paying school?
Campbell College and Royal Belfast Academical Institution
Whilst Campbell College and Royal Belfast Academical Institution are voluntary grammar schools, they are referred to in the Department of Education Circular 1996/41 as Category B school as they require parents to pay tuition fees (this is different from schools who seek voluntary contributions). The Circular advised that there is no obligation on parents to seek a place in these voluntary grammar schools within statutory qualifying distance of a pupil’s home.
Pupils outside the statutory qualifying distance of, and who wish to attend these schools must, however, demonstrate that they were unable to gain a place in any/all non-denominational grammar school(s) within 3 miles of their home if they are to qualify for transport assistance.
What if my child is moving home or school?
You are required to re-apply for transport assistance and return any previous travel pass to your local Transport Office.You will then be assessed against DE eligibility criteria i.e. distance and nearest suitable school.
If you are attending a school that is beyond the qualifying distance (2 miles for Primary Schools or 3 miles for Post Primary Schools) you must provide evidence from the Principal of all nearest suitable school(s) that you formally applied for a place and that the school did not have a place for your child/children. Retrospective evidence i.e. a statement indicating that a school would not have accepted your child but you did not formally apply will not be accepted.
All written evidence should be forwarded to your local Transport Office with your online application reference number.
If a pupil moves house or school (outside of the normal transfer to Yr 1 and Yr 8) parents MUST make a new transport application.
Applications will be assessed against the criteria outlined in the Department of Education (DE) Transport policy
Parents should therefore be aware that if a pupil moves school, but does not move house, we will refer to the admissions preferences expressed at the time of transfer when assessing the application. If parents have chosen to bypass a suitable school within the qualifying distance at that time, they will remain ineligible for transport assistance to a school beyond this distance.
Parents should also note that transport policy makes no exceptions for those parents who disregard the requirement to apply to all suitable school(s) within the qualifying distance of a pupil’s home including on the basis of:
- An assumption their child would not secure a place in the school(s)
- Potential or proposed future changes to school provision (e.g. school closure, amalgamation). Particularly where there is no formal decision by the Department of Education.
Preference for a school beyond the qualifying distance that prioritises pupils on the basis of their order of preference on their application.
Is my child eligible for alternative transport assistance for a medical issue?
Where a child who is currently in receipt of Home to School Transport Assistance is unable to attend school by means of the current transport provision due to a medical need and you are unable to make your own alternative travel arrangements, we may offer alternative assistance.
Further information and access to the Online Application can be foundhere.
What if there are other siblings getting transport assistance?
Eligibility for transport assistance will be assessed according to the criteria and systems in place at the time of application which in some cases may differ to those applied in the past. Parents are advised to use the Transport Eligibility Checker to determine each child’s entitlement to transport assistance.
When applying for Transport Assistance it is important that you advise us if there are other siblings already in receipt of transport assistance. This is so the Authority can try to ensure that siblings are awarded the same mode of transport and, where possible and appropriate, travel on the same vehicle.
What if we have been forced to relocate?
Refer to theExceptional Circ*mstances section on the Transport Appeals page.
What if I have a looked after child?
A child is ‘looked after’ if they are in the care of the local authority for more than 24 hours. Legally, this could be when they are: living in accommodation provided by the local authority with the parents’ agreement or be the subject of an interim or full care order.
It is the responsibility of Social Services to make contact with the Transport Division regarding a ‘looked after’ child.
While the Authority has a statutory duty to provide transport assistance for eligible pupils, this consideration is from the permanent home address to the school only.
Each case will be assessed on an individual basis.
What if my child gets expelled from school?
Notify yourLocal Transport Office.
What if I want to appeal the assessment of eligibility?
For more information of the grounds to appeal our assessment of your eligibility please go to the transport appeals page.
Do escorts travel as standard?
Escorts travel as standard on services to special schools. Escorts are only provided on other services where is has been identified as a special transport need on the pupil’s statement of educational needs.
Who provides a car seat if it is required?
Car seats are not required on buses unless it has been identified that your child requires a particular car seat in order to travel on the bus. If a pupil travels on a private hire vehicle, the seat is provided by the Operator.
Do primary and post primary aged children travel together?
Many of our services will be just for primary school pupils or post primary pupils, however some services will have children from both primary and post primary on board.
Is transport available for phased attendance or early finish?
The school transport network is designed to align with the opening and closing times of schools. Where a school decides to operate a phased attendance at the start of a school term, release younger children earlier or close early they should advise parents that they may have to make their own transport arrangements as appropriate.
How do I find out if a route is operating?
We work hard to minimise disruption but EA bus routes can be disrupted at extremely short notice. It is not feasible to notify individual families, so parents should visitTransport Updates after 6pm each day for details of EA bus routes that we know will not operate the following day. We also work with schools to share information and Private Operators may also notify parents. Where a service cannot operate parents are asked to make alternative arrangements and EA will do all it can to put alternative arrangements in place as soon as possible.
