The Ministry of Education has confirmed that the Cabinet has approved a full subsidy for increased bus fares starting this month for students holding blue and yellow bus cards.
Minister Aseri Radrodro stated that blue card holders will receive a 100 percent subsidy, while yellow card holders will benefit from a 50 percent subsidy, alleviating financial pressure on parents.
Students can continue to use their blue and yellow cards as they have previously. Blue card holders are eligible to start redeeming their bus cards from today, with the Ministry directly covering the full subsidy to Vodafone at the end of each month. Yellow card holders will follow a similar process, with parents topping up their cards, and the Ministry will handle the 50 percent subsidy for these cards at the end of each month.
Radrodro also noted that current restrictions on blue subsidized card usage will remain unchanged, which include:
– Blue Cards cannot be used during school holidays and on weekends.
– There are specific usage times for Blue Subsidised cards: 6:30 AM to 9:00 AM and 2:30 PM to 5:00 PM.
– There is a 15-minute blackout period between taps for Blue Card holders.