School transportation

Who is entitled to reimbursement of travel costs?

Pupils are eligible if the shortest walking distance between the pupil's home and the nearest school or place of instruction (work placement) is one-way.

• 2.0 km for pupils in grades 1 to 4 (primary school)
• 3.5 km for pupils in grades 5 to 10 (lower secondary level)
• 5.0 km for students in grades 11 to 12 / 13 (upper secondary level)

amounts to.

How do I apply for reimbursement of travel costs (DeutschlandTicket Schule)?

The pilgrimage town of Kevelaer, as the school authority, fulfills its obligation to reimburse costs, taking into account the priority of public transport, by issuing DeutschlandTickets Schule for those entitled to free travel via Niederrheinische Verkehrsbetriebe AG (NIAG).

Order forms for the DeutschlandTicket Schule are available from the school office.

The subscription to the DeutschlandTicket Schule can be started on the 1st of each month in the current school year. In order for the ticket to be issued on time, the completed application must be submitted to the school authority by the 10th of the previous month.

Travel costs incurred as a result of late application will not be reimbursed.

Pupils entitled to free travel who can reasonably be expected to use public transport lose their right to reimbursement if they do not subscribe to the DeutschlandTicket Schule.

There is no obligation to take out a DeutschlandTicket Schule subscription; however, the costs of using other means of transport will not be reimbursed!

How much does the DeutschlandTicket School cost?

For the opportunity to also use the DeutschlandTicket Schule in their free time, a statutory personal contribution is levied from pupils who are entitled to reimbursement of travel costs for school trips in the sense of solidarity financing (legal basis: Section 97 (3) of the NRW School Act and Section 2 (3) of the Pupil Travel Costs Ordinance). The amount depends on how many older eligible siblings also receive the SchokoTicket from the school authority.

The regulation of own contributions for the schools in the pilgrimage town of Kevelaer:

Grammar school / comprehensive school

In grades 5 to 12 / 13, the following personal contribution must be paid: 

• 14.00 per month for the first authorized child in a family
• 7.00 per month for the second authorized child in a family
• The co-payment is waived for the 3rd and each additional child entitled to travel
• Children of full age in a family generally pay € 14.00 per month and are not included in the count

Elementary school

In principle, pupils would have to pay a contribution of €7.00 per month. These costs are covered by the pilgrimage town of Kevelaer as a voluntary service in accordance with the council resolution of 22.05.2012. In this respect, there are no costs for primary school pupils.

Persons not entitled to free travel have the option of subscribing to the DeutschlandTicket Schule as a self-payer against payment of currently €38.00 per month. You can obtain the order form for this ticket from the school office or the VRR customer centers.

DeutschlandTicket school and school internship

The school authority will only cover travel costs during the student internship up to a distance of 25 km from the school or place of residence in accordance with the Student Travel Costs Ordinance. Public transportation always has priority over other forms of transportation.

If the student already has a DeutschlandTicket Schule, in many cases this ticket can be used to travel to the internship. If this is not possible and there is an entitlement to reimbursement of travel costs to the internship, this will be provided as part of a subsequent reimbursement.

Can I also claim travel expenses for the use of other vehicles?

Users of their own vehicles (cars or other motor vehicles) are generally not reimbursed for travel expenses.

However, there are two exceptions:

1. The school cannot or cannot reasonably be reached by public transport. The use of bus and train is unreasonable if the regular journey to and from school takes more than three hours in total, even when using the most favorable transport connections (but: waiting times before and after lessons are not taken into account) or if pupils have to leave home before six o'clock for the most part. In addition, the nearest bus stop should not be more than 2 km away from the home.
2. The journey to school is made by bike all year round. However, the prerequisite is that no SchokoTicket is issued at the same time.

What reimbursement can I expect in these cases?

The maximum monthly amount is €100. The mileage allowance is for the use of the following vehicles:

Vehicle	Compensation
Bicycle	0,03 € per km
Scooter, moped, motorcycle	0,05 € per km
PASSENGER CAR	0,13 € per km

The use of a private vehicle is generally only necessary from home to the nearest public transport stop. Passengers who meet the eligibility requirements and travel with other students in a car are not entitled to reimbursement. Only the driver or carpool driver can claim a carpooling allowance (€0.03 per km).

If you are entitled to reimbursement of travel costs in accordance with the above-mentioned eligibility requirements, a corresponding application form is available on request from the school office.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about eligibility under the School Travel Costs Ordinance, please contact the Schools and Sport Department at the pilgrimage town of Kevelaer.

If you have any questions about the DeutschlandTicket Schule, the season ticket contract and the personal contribution, please contact the NIAG's free subscription hotline (0800) 205 11 22.

You can also use the link below to obtain further information about the SchokoTicket and order it directly online as a self-payer.

 

Information on restrictions on school transportation:

Current information on existing restrictions (due to road closures, detour, etc.) can be found here as text or in the links or downloads.