What is a concessionary seat?
Where EA supplies its own transport (EA yellow bus or private hire bus) and seats are available after the requirements of all eligible pupils have been met it may offer the unused seats to ineligible pupils on a concessionary basis.
Concessionary transport is discretionary and will only be attended to when the EA is satisfied it has arrangements in place for eligible pupils. As such, concessionary seats will typically not be awarded prior to the end of October each year and cannot be guaranteed for the start of September, even where it has been available in the previous academic year. The EA is under no obligation to create, vary or alter routes to accommodate pupils in receipt of concessionary transport.
Concessionary seats are not awarded on a permanent basis and are awarded at the Education Authority’s discretion. They will typically be reviewed annually and can be withdrawn by the Authority at any time if required.
The offer is made on the basis of a written contract with parents/guardians, which should set out the terms and conditions under which the offer is made, and under which it may be withdrawn. It is for EA to determine which pupils should be given such concessions.
Who can apply for a concessionary seat?
- Parent’s/Guardian’s must first submit an online application for transport assistance for their child via the EA website - Apply for Transport Assistance.
- Where a transport application has been rejected and your child is deemed ineligible for transport assistance due to residing under statutory walking distance (2 miles for Primary & 3 miles for Post Primary) to the School attended, a parent can make an application to be considered for Concessionary Transport.
- If your child is not eligible for transport assistance due to their being a school of the same category within statutory walking distance, your child is not eligible to apply for concessionary transport.
How do you apply for a concessionary seat?
Concessionary Transport Applications can be submitted each year from 1 August, by submitting a Concessionary Transport Application Form.
Concessionary transport will only be awarded when the Education Authority is assured it has met demand for eligible pupils. As such concessionary seats will typically not be awarded prior to the end of October each year, when the available capacity of EA bus routes are finalised and concessionary seats can be considered. If concessionary seats are not available for any or all pupils at the end of October, Concessionary Transport Application Forms will be held on a waiting list until Mid term break in February. At which time, if there is still no capacity to award concessionary seats, the concessionary transport waiting list will be ended for that academic year.
If parents wish for their child to be considered for the next academic year, they must submit a new application, when the process for submitting application forms opens on the 1 August prior to the next academic year.
General FAQs
Do I need to apply each academic year for a concessionary seat?
Once a concessionary seat is awarded, the pupil will retain the concessionary seat until such time that the seat is required to facilitate transport for an eligible pupil or when the service route or vehicle is changed in a manner that means the concessionary seat is no longer available or viable.
If you were unsuccessful in obtaining a concessionary seat in a particular academic year and want your child to be considered for the next academic year, a new application must be submitted when the process for submitting application forms opens on the 1 August prior to the next academic year.
My older child already has a concessionary seat?
There is no obligation to provide concessionary transport for all siblings attending the same school and an individual application form is required for each child that will be considered based on the capacity at that time. An older sibling already travelling on the vehicle will be taken into consideration if demand for concessionary seats on the service is greater than the capacity available.
What if there are more concessionary applications than available seats on the vehicle?
In the event that there are more applications for concessionary transport than there are available seats on a particular route, the following criteria will be applied in the order set down until the final seat has been awarded.
C1. Siblings
Applicants who, at the date of their application, have a child of the family residing at the same address currently travelling on the designated service.
C2. Distance from Home to School
Preference will be given to applicants who live furthest away from the School. The only measurement that will be considered is that determined in the transport application process, measured based on the nearest available route using a GIS system based on Land & Property Services information and no other measurement tool will be accepted.
These criteria will be applied equitably for all applications and the Authority’s decision on the award of concessionary transport and application of the above criteria is final. There is no facility to appeal this decision.
Do I need to contact the Transport Service to get an update on my application?
No, your local transport office will be in contact with you at the relevant times of the academic year to update you on the process.
Can my child’s Concessionary Transport be withdrawn?
A concessionary seat awarded, may be withdrawn at any time if there is, for example:
- An increase in the number of pupils with an entitlement to transport assistance;
- A need to re-organise services;
- Reduce operating costs by deploying a smaller bus or reducing the number of services on the route.
Where this is required, the concessionary passenger(s) who live closest to the School will have their concessionary seat withdrawn, in distance order, until the necessary service adjustments have been completed.
The only measurement that will be considered is that determined in the transport application process, measured based on the shortest available route using a GIS system based on Land & Property Services information and no other measurement tool will be accepted.
The Authority’s decision on the withdrawal of concessionary seats is final and there is no facility to appeal this decision.