School transport
- Service
- Helsinki
- Public service
City of Helsinki supports school journeys for pupils studying at City of Helsinki comprehensive schools. Private and state schools are responsible for organising transportation for their pupils themselves.
If the journey from home to the local school of a pupil in grade one to six is a minimum of two kilometres long, the pupil will receive a HSL school child travel card.
The minimum journey ...
Do the following
To whom and on what terms
Pupils can receive a school child travel card or special transport for school trips from the Helsinki regional transport, HSL, if certain conditions are met.
Background information
Pupils in pre-primary and basic education are entitled to free school transport organised by the municipality if the distance to school
- is over five kilometres one way or
- the journey is otherwise too difficult, strenuous or dangerous in view of the pupil’s age or circumstances.
The daily travel to school and back home may take at most two and a half hours including any waiting time, and for pupils aged 13 or over, three hours.
An alternative to free transport is a subsidy granted to the parents for transporting and accompanying the pupil.
Secondary education students completing compulsory education are entitled to free school transport if
- the school journey is at least seven kilometres in one direction and
- they use public transport to get to school.
If it is not possible to use public transport, the student must arrange transport to the educational institution themselves and they will receive a financial compensation for it.