Children’s school bus fares have been set at €5 per month or €30 for the whole school year, the transport ministry said on Friday night, while also announcing that children belonging to large families, comprising five or more people, and children of people who receive the guaranteed minimum income, will be eligible for free bus transport to school.

It said that children must obtain a personalised Motion bus card to be able to board the school buses, and that to obtain such a card, they must present a certificate of attendance or a pupil identification card for the current school year.

Additionally, it said that all school buses will operate free of charge during the first week of the school year, until September 11, “so as to provide the necessary time for the issuance of personalised Motion cards”.

After that, it said, from September 14, children without valid Motion bus cards will not be allowed to board school buses.

“These measures aim to facilitate pupils’ daily travel and to encourage more pupils to use public transport,” it said.