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Travel services

Subsidised School Trip Ticket

Upper secondary level students may apply to the Finnish Social Insurance Institute (Kela) for a school trip subsidy, which is provided to pay for the cost of daily school trips if the distance to school and cost of travel exceed the limits stipulated by law. Application forms are available from institutes of education, Kela offices and Kela's website. The application for school a trip subsidy is completed and filed with the school, which will then check the information provided and issue the student a purchase voucher. By presenting the purchase voucher, the student can buy, from a Matkahuolto service outlet, a ticket to be loaded on the Subsidised School Trip Card for a price reduced by the amount of the school trip subsidy. The number of purchases and last date of purchase as indicated on the purchase voucher will be entered on the card. The purchase voucher will be retained by Matkahuolto.

The student can buy either a 44-day Annual Student Ticket or, in an area where regional tickets are used, a Regional Student Ticket from a Matkahuolto service outlet. The student has the right to choose between these two products. If the school trip includes transfers, the student will always be sold a regional student ticket in areas where regional tickets are used. If no regional tickets are available in the area, separate school trip tickets are sold for each leg of the journey.

44-Trip Annual Student Ticket


  • fare confirmed by the Ministry of Transport and Communications less 25%
  • valid for all of Finland
  • card and ticket are personal
  • the number of purchases, last date of purchase and the length of the trip are entered on the card when the ticket is sold.

Regional Student Ticket


  • valid for a given regional ticket area as specified by municipalities
  • allows unlimited travel within the regional ticket area involved
  • card and ticket are personal
  • the number of purchases and last date of purchase are entered on the card when the ticket is purchased.

For each ticket purchase, the student will only pay € 43, which is the minimum amount specified. The price of all the optional ticket products is the same for students. At the time of the first purchase, a fee of € 6.50 will be charged for the card.

As a rule, the type of ticket cannot be changed in mid-term. If the school trip route changes, a new application for a school trip subsidy and purchase voucher must be filled out.

The number of authorised purchases specified on the Subsidised School Trip Card may only be used during the term for which the subsidy is granted. Unused authorised purchases may not be used in the next term.

Matkahuolto will not make any refund for the 44-Trip Annual Student Ticket, or for the Regional Student Ticket.

More information about school trip subsidies is available from institutes of education, Kela offices and Kela's website. For more details about the legal provisions for school trip subsidies, see www.finlex.fi.