Subsidised School Trip Tickets

The Subsidised School Trip Ticket product is intended for upper secondary level students eligible for a school transport subsidy granted by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela). With a subsidised school trip ticket, you can travel between your home and school or on-the-job learning site.

As of 18 July 2023, subsidised school trip tickets for the school year 2023-2024 must be purchased through Matkahuolto’s Trips and Tickets app.

Ticket options

If you are eligible for the full school transport subsidy, i.e. you have at least 15 travel days per calendar month, you can get a 44-trip student ticket valid for 30 days. If you are eligible for half of the full school transport subsidy, i.e. you have 10-14 travel days per calendar month, you can get a 28-trip student ticket valid for 30 days.

Buying subsidised school trip tickets in the Trips and Tickets app

You can buy a subsidised school trip ticket in the Trips and Tickets app, as long as you have first applied for a school transport subsidy online in the OmaKela service and obtained a purchase authorisation. Buying a ticket in the app requires strong authentication to verify your purchase authorisation. For this reason, students are advised to obtain their online banking credentials or mobile ID well in advance. Your purchase authorisation is checked each time you buy a ticket.

Tickets can be purchased no earlier than two weeks before the start of the semester. The ticket will appear in the app once the purchase authorisation has been granted and strong authentication has been completed.

Below are instructions on how to buy a ticket in the app:

1. Open the Trips and Tickets app. If you don’t already have the app on your phone, you can download it from your app store.
2. Register for the app with your email address and activate the app according to the instructions sent to your email.
3. Go to the ‘Omat tiedot’ page (Lisää → Asetukset)and click Tunnistaudu koulumatkatukilippuun.
4. Authenticate yourself by following the instructions in the app. After authentication, you will be able to view your purchase authorisations and buy subsidised school trip tickets.

After the first authentication, you will be able to buy school trip tickets directly from the app’s homepage.

Subsidised school trip tickets for June and July 2023 on travel cards

If a student has been granted a school transport subsidy for June and July 2023, a subsidised school trip ticket for these months can still be loaded onto the travel card. The ticket must, however, be loaded onto the travel card by 30 June 2023 at the latest, since after that date loading will no longer be possible. However, you will be able to use the ticket on your travel card to travel, even after 30 June 2023, until the ticket expires.

Price

The deductible for the ticket is €43 for the 44-trip ticket or €21.50 for the 28-trip ticket. If you are subject to compulsory education under the new Compulsory Education Act and therefore entitled to free education, there is no deductible to pay. The price of a single ticket is based on Matkahuolto’s price list for 44-trip series tickets. 

Ticket validity

A subsidised school trip ticket is good for school trips indicated in the purchase authorisation for the duration of the period subsidised by Kela. Subsidised school trip tickets may not be loaded twice in one month. It is the student’s responsibility to choose the right ticket product.

Refund terms

Subsidised school trip tickets cannot be cancelled and are non-refundable. If the school trip changes during the subsidised period, the student is entitled to use up the remaining trips, after which a new purchase authorisation must be applied for from Kela.

Right of travel

Subsidised school trip tickets are personal and cannot be transferred to another person.

Additional information

In future, school trip subsidies available from Kela will have to be applied for online in OmaKela. To apply for a subsidy independently, a student must have online banking credentials or a mobile ID.

New students can apply for a subsidy for the first school year as soon as they have been registered as a student. Subsidised school trip tickets can be purchased in the app from 18 July 2023.

For more information and instructions on how to apply for a school transport subsidy, visit the Kela website.