School transportation

In Hamina, school transportation is primarily organized using public transport. In special cases, students can also be transported by taxi.

According to Section 32 of the Basic Education Act, a student has the right to free school transport if:

  • The distance to school exceeds five kilometers. The distance is measured from the home gate to the school gate along the shortest pedestrian route.
  • The school trip is considered dangerous. In Hamina, the national School Chalkboard program is used to determine the danger of the school trip. 
  • the school trip is considered too difficult or burdensome. The decision is always based on expert opinion 

In the city of Hamina (Education and Training Committee, 20 May 2026, Section 35), it has been decided to grant a school transport benefit starting from 1 August 2026 also to 1st and 2nd graders for school trips exceeding three kilometers.

According to the Basic Education Act, a student's round-trip journey to school may not exceed 2,5 hours, and for those over 13 years of age, it may not exceed 3 hours.

Free school transport is arranged from the student's home address entered in the population register to the local school assigned to them. Students who have chosen a secondary place of study are not entitled to free school transport.

The distance to school is determined by the shortest, walkable and publicly accessible route from the gate of the home or apartment to the school gate. The determination is made using Google Maps and walking is selected as the mode of transport. 

Only a guardian or the student's legal representative can apply for school transportation. School transportation is generally applied for on a paper form, which is submitted to the student's school for the school's opinion.