School transport in upper secondary school

Who can apply?

If you are a pupil at one of the upper secondary schools in Troms county and you have a walking distance of more than 6 km to the school, you can apply for free school transport. For most pupils, such transport will be by bus. Use your school card as proof of entitlement to school transport.

How to apply?

Get school place

• Receive an offer of admission from the school
• Confirm your school place

Apply for school transport

• You cannot apply for school transport until your school place is confirmed.

Deadlines and guarantees

• Apply before 1 August to be guaranteed school transport from the first day of school.
• A pupil who applies for a school card after 1 August will not be guaranteed free school transport from the first day of school. Any expenses incurred getting to and from the school will not be reimbursed.
• You can also apply for school transport throughout the year.

Apply for school transport here

School card

We issue a school card to pupils who are entitled to free school transport.

The school cards are only to be used for school transport.

You will find information here about how to buy our ordinary tickets.

When and where do you get your card?

For pupils at primary and lower secondary school, the school card will be issued at the school on one of the first days of school. Pupils who had a school card in the previous school year will receive an updated card. Remember to take good care of your school card.

Pupils receiving a new school card

The school card is only valid on school days. As there are 190 school days and two journeys per day, the school card is valid for 380 bus journeys. It’s the pupil’s responsibility for ensuring that this number of bus journeys is not used up before the end of the school year.

• Pupils receiving a new school card will be issued their new school card on one of the first days of school. These will work from the first time they are used.
• When you use the school card for the first time, hold it against the validator for three seconds so the new data can be loaded on the card.
• The card must be scanned on the bus on every journey.
• The card is valid for travel between the pupil’s home and school, i.e. two journeys per day.
• If you need to transfer to another bus, this will still be regarded as one journey.
• The school card is personal and may not be loaned or given to others.

Lost and damaged school cards

• Notify the school, which will order a new school card.
• In most cases, the pupil will be given a reserve school card.
• New school cards cost NOK 50.
• A valid receipt must be presented at the school before a new card is issued.
• School cards with technical errors, or which cannot be scanned on the bus, should be delivered to the school. The school will issue a reserve school card for free.

Pupils with a school card from the previous year

• Keep the school card from the previous school year.
• On the first day of the new school year, hold the card against the validator for three seconds so the new data can be loaded on the card.
• The school card should be used every year you are entitled to school transport in Troms, including if you swap schools.

Misuse of school cards

• Forgery of school cards is regarded as forgery and may be reported to the Police.
• Misuse of school cards can lead to the right to transport being revoked for a shorter or longer period.

How long is the journey valid?

• The school card is valid for 75 minutes from the time of boarding/scanning the card until the transfer time expires.
• The school cards have two journeys programmed on the card per day.
• Upper secondary school cards are valid until 23:00 (11pm).

Disabled or injured pupils

There is no minimum distance requirement for disabled and temporarily ill or injured pupils. The application for adapted school transport must be filled in and submitted to the pupil’s school. Pursuant to the Education Act, the disability, injury or illness must constitute a genuine need for transport.

For disabled pupils who stay at boarding facilities, the county administration covers up to six return journeys per pupil per school year in addition to homeward journeys covered by the State. For pupils who must travel home in the weekends because the boarding facility closes, the county administration covers on application the travel expenses incurred by the pupil that exceed the normal ticket fare. Applications for the coverage of homeward journeys must be submitted to the county administration no later than one month after the start of the school year.

Read more and apply for adapted school transport.

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 6 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 (PDF, 647 kB) must be delivered to the school to support the application.

Pupils attending compulsory work placement/practical training

The pupil has the right to free transport when there is a minimum of 6 km between the pupil’s residence and the business concerned.

The school arranges and funds this transport.

Pupils who do not live in their home county

Pupils who are residents of Troms per the National Population Register and who go to upper secondary school in another county to fulfil their right to upper secondary education are entitled to transport if the ordinary conditions for the right to transport are met. This applies if

• there is insufficient capacity at the schools in Troms
• there is no equivalent programme in Troms
• the school place has been bought by the Troms county administration

We are responsible for school transport for the pupils who reside in the county or who are admitted as guest pupils in another county.

Reimbursement form for school transport

As a pupil or parent/guardian, you may apply for reimbursement of ticket purchases or use of private means of transport in connection with school transport. A condition for such reimbursement is that we have approved your application for school transport. Transport expenses are reimbursed pursuant to Section 10-2 of the Education Act

We contact the applicant’s school for control and approval. Forms containing errors or omissions will be rejected and sent back.

Apply for reimbursement here.