Applications for school transport subsidy to be submitted to Kela from now on – will ensure quicker processing
A handy, new online application for school transport subsidy will be introduced in OmaKela. Students will need online banking codes or a mobile certificate in order to submit their applications for the school transport subsidy in the e-service. Online applications for school transport subsidy will be introduced in late May or early June.
Amendments to the Act on School Transport Subsidy will enter into force on 1 August 2023, and in consequence there will be changes to the application process. Up to now, students have submitted their applications to their upper secondary schools. The schools have then checked the applications, issued vouchers and recorded information on the right to purchase tickets. From now on, applications for school transport subsidy will be submitted directly to Kela. Educational institutions will only provide general advice on matters related to the subsidy.
“Thanks to the new application procedure, students will be able to apply for all study benefits online,” says Piia Kuusisto, Benefits Manager for the Student Financial Aid Section at Kela.
The easiest way to apply for school transport subsidy will be to use Kela’s new online application, which will be available from late May or early June. The printed vouchers formerly issued for the purchase of tickets will no longer be used. The vouchers will be replaced by an electronic proof of the right to purchase tickets, which can be granted immediately when the student has submitted an application. This means that students will be able to purchase tickets in the online services of the transport providers immediately after submitting their applications.
“This makes things much easier and faster for the students, as they will be able to buy subsidised tickets before receiving an actual decision on the subsidy,” Kuusisto says.
It will still be possible to submit applications for school transport subsidy on a printed form. However, customers who do so will not receive the right to purchase tickets until Kela has processed their application.
Students will need online banking codes or a mobile certificate
Students can apply for the school transport subsidy themselves in OmaKela if they have online banking codes or a mobile certificate. Online banking codes are available from the bank where the student is a customer and a mobile certificate is available from the student’s mobile operator.
“It’s important to get your online banking codes or mobile certificate early enough so that you can submit your application online before the start of the new academic year,” Kuusisto says.
The amount of the subsidy and the grounds for granting it remain unchanged
The Act on School Transport Subsidy was last amended in 2021, when compulsory education was extended to the age of 18 and upper secondary education was made free of charge. At that time, the amount of the subsidy and the criteria for granting it were also amended. They will remain unchanged under the latest amendment.
Kela grants school transport subsidy to students in upper secondary education who live a long distance from their school. For more information on school transport subsidy, please see Kela’s website.
The number of recipients of school transport subsidy has increased since 2021 as a consequence of the legislative amendments. In the academic year 2021–2022, school transport subsidy was granted to 25,600 students for education that was free of charge. A total of 57,400 students received school transport subsidy during the academic year, an increase of 36 per cent on the previous year.
Kela will provide more information when the online application form becomes available.