Subsidised school trip card
Students at general upper secondary schools and vocational institutions may apply for Kela school transport subsidy for the expenses caused by their daily school trips.
Student should apply for the subsidy through OmaKela using Kela's electronic application. This requires online banking codes or a mobile certificate.
Who is eligible for school transport support?
Kela grants school transport subsidy to those who are studying in a upper secondary school.
You can get school transport subsidy in the Föli-area (Turku, Kaarina, Raisio, Lieto, Naantali, Rusko & Paimio), if
- your travel distance to school is at least 7 kilometres one way
- you have the right to a free education
- you are enrolled in upper secondary education, such as general upper secondary school or vocational education
- you travel to school on at least 10 days per calendar month.
The price of the school transport subsidy card is EUR 0 / 30 days.
If you're unsure whether you're entitled to free education, you can check with your educational institution.
How to apply for school transport support
The application is made online in OmaKela (Opens in a new tab)e-service.
For the student to be able to log in to OmaKela and apply for the subsidy, the student will need their own online banking credentials or a mobile certificate. It can also be done by a guardian.
You can apply for school transport support even before the new school year begins. In the application, public transport must be selected as the mode of transport and Föli as the ticket vendor. You will be given the right to purchase a school transport subsidy card immediately, and the official decision will arrive later.
The school transport support application must be renewed each school year. Apply for the school transport subsidy at the beginning of each school year or when you know how you will be travelling to school.
Once your eligibility to purchase with school transport support has been confirmed, you can activate the benefit in the Föli shop (Opens in a new tab). If the Föli card has been used as a value card before, you need to change the product through Föli customer service (Opens in a new tab) before loading the school transport subsidy onto it, for example by phone or chat.
Updating and topping up a subsidised school transport card in the Föli shop
Although loading the school transport support card is free of charge, it must be reloaded every month in the Föli Shop or at a Föli service point. Loading the card is not available at loading points or in the Föli app.
When loading the benefit for the first time, it must be activated under the profile section in the Föli shop (kauppa.foli.fi (Opens in a new tab)).
How to get the discount in the Föli shop
1. Log in/register in the Föli shop: kauppa.foli.fi. (Opens in a new tab)
2. Open the menu in the upper-right corner (three lines), select “Profile” and select “School transport card subsidised by Kela” from the profile. To activate the discount, set the bar to “Yes” by clicking it.
3. Select “Load card” from the menu.
4. Insert your Föli card number and click “Add card”.
5. Add the product in the shopping cart and click “Payment”.
6. Check that the charged sum is correct and choose a payment method.
7. Please wait while the site returns to the Föli shop
The last ticket for the academic year must be loaded onto your card or device no later than 14 days before your studies end.
Length of the school commute
The school commute is defined as the shortest driving route between the home and the educational institution. If this shortest route is below the specified number of kilometers, the student cannot receive school transport subsidy, even if the distance traveled by the Föli bus is longer. To measure the length of the school commute, you can use the route planner service (Opens in a new tab) available on Kela’s website when submitting the application.
A person entitled to free education can receive school transport subsidy if the one-way commute is at least 7 kilometers.
Travelling to upper secondary education institutions from municipalities outside Föli to the Föli area?
Those travelling to upper secondary education institutions from municipalities outside Föli to the Föli area can obtain a Seutu+ travel card. Seutu+ tickets are valid both on basic journeys and on extended and transfer journeys within the Föli area. The holders of the Seutu+ card can apply for a school transport subsidy through Kela's e-service, i.e. OmaKela. Select Waltti as your mode of transport on the application form.
