School transport in primary and lower secondary school

Who can apply for free school transport?

Students are entitled to free school transport if they:

• are in 1st grade and live more than 2 km from school
• are in 2nd to 10th grade and live more than 4 km from school
• require transport due to a disability or medical condition
• have a particularly difficult or hazardous route to school

For students with a hazardous route to school or a disability, there is no minimum distance requirement. This also applies to students who temporarily need transport due to illness or injury.

The distance to school is calculated using the shortest accessible route between the student's home and school.

How to apply?

For primary and lower secondary school students, the school submits transport requests on behalf of the student.

If you are a parent or guardian and have questions about school transport for your child, please contact the school directly.

Adapted school transport

If a student has a disability or a medical condition, the school must submit a separate application for adapted school transport.

School Travel Card

The School Travel Card is an electronic travel card issued by Troms County. Students must tap the card on the ticket reader every time they board the bus.

The card is only valid for travel between home and school on school days. With 190 school days per year and two journeys per day, the card includes a total of 380 trips.

• The School Travel Card must be validated on the bus card reader for every journey.
• Each journey is valid for 90 minutes from the time the card is tapped.
• If you change buses during your journey, it will count as the same trip as long as the 90-minute validity period has not expired.
• School Travel Cards are valid until 17:00 (5:00 PM).
• Students are responsible for ensuring that they do not use all allocated trips before the end of the school year.

When and where do you receive your card?

Students who are granted free school transport for the first time will receive their School Travel Card through their school.

Students who already have a School Travel Card from the previous school year will have their card updated automatically.

Activating your School Travel Card

• When using the card for the first time, hold it against the card reader for three seconds to allow the travel data to be loaded onto the card.
• Students who already have a card from a previous year should follow the same process.

Lost or damaged School Travel Card

• Report the loss or damage to the school, which will order a replacement card. In the meantime, the student will be issued a temporary card.
• If a temporary card is not available, the student must purchase single tickets and submit them to Customer Service for a refund until the new card is received.
• Cards with technical faults, or cards that cannot be read on the bus, must be returned to the school.

Misuse of the School Travel Card

• The School Travel Card is personal and must not be lent or given to anyone else.
• Forging or altering a School Travel Card is considered document fraud and may be reported to the police.
• Misuse of a School Travel Card may result in the loss of free transport eligibility for a shorter or longer period.

Change of residence or shared residence

Pupils who change their place of residence or school must notify the school, as moving will generally change the transport conditions and may affect the pupil’s right to free transport.

Pupils who alternate between living with parents with different residential addresses may be entitled to school transport to both parents if the distance is over 4 km. A certain amount of predictability is required in the distribution of transport between the places of residence. However, equal distribution is not a condition.

Both parents must confirm that the pupil has two places of residence before a bus card is issued. The signed form must be delivered to the school to support the application.

Download the form for confirmation of shared residence (PDF, 647 kB) here.

Disabled, injured or ill pupils

There is no minimum distance requirement for disabled and temporarily ill or injured pupils. 

The Education Act sets as a condition for transport that the disability, injury or illness indicates that the pupil has a genuine need for transport. This must be documented by a medical certificate (PDF, 838 kB) from a specialist/doctor.

Pupils that attend a school other than his/hers local school

Although the schools are responsible for school transport in cases where the pupil is granted the right to attend a school other than his/her local school, the municipality/school can apply to the county administration to carry out the transport on behalf of the municipality.

In such cases, an individual decision by the municipality concerning the right to attend the school, including the duration, must be attached to the application.

Pupils attending compulsory work placement/practical training

The pupil has the right to free transport when there is a minimum of 4 km between the pupil’s residence and the business concerned. The municipality arranges and funds this transport.

Reimbursement form for school transport

You will find the reimbursement form for school transport here.