In principle, all pupils are entitled to school transport if they live in Rhineland-Palatinate and the journey to school is unreasonable without the use of transport.
For pupils in secondary level II, school transport is only granted if their income is below a certain threshold, the amount of which is regulated by law. A reasonable contribution is to be charged. This is determined by the school transport providers themselves and may therefore vary between different counties and independent cities.

The journey to school is unreasonable for the pupil. This is the case if the walking distance between home and primary school is longer than 2 kilometers, longer than 4 kilometers for secondary schools, or if the journey to school is particularly dangerous. For pupils with special educational needs, the type and degree of disability are also decisive factors in determining the reasonableness of the journey to school.

The entitlement to school transportation refers to the nearest school of the chosen type.

School transportation costs are covered from the date of application. Retroactive approval is not possible. For this reason, the application should be submitted before the start of the school year. The application is usually submitted once for the duration of school attendance. A new application is required in particular if the student's place of residence changes, the student changes schools, or the type of transportation changes. Changes to the information provided in the application for student transportation (in particular in the event of a change of residence, change of school, or discontinuation of school attendance) must be reported to the district administration or city administration without delay.

If the conditions on which the approval of school transportation costs was based no longer apply (e.g., length of the journey to school, actual school attendance), the transportation costs will no longer be covered from the date on which the change occurred.

The application should be submitted before the start of the school year.

There are no fees.

The application forms are provided by the school transport providers (county or independent city).

For applications for school transportation that is granted on the basis of income (secondary level II), the relevant income tax assessment must be enclosed with the application.