Benidorm allocates 159,000 euros to subsidize school transport to Salt de l'Aigua and IES Mediterrànea school centres

Benidorm City Council, through the Department of Education, will allocate €159,000 to grant school transport for students in the second cycle of preschool, primary, and secondary education attending the two primary schools and four secondary schools located in Salt de l'Aigua complex, as well as for students at IES Mediterrània. This grant, which the City Council also extends to students in post-compulsory education, complements the aid granted by the Valencian Government, thus reaching students who cannot access the grants from the regional government.

The Councilor for Education, Maite Moreno, explained that the Local Government Board approved yesterday, Monday, the terms for granting these subsidies, the agreement with the urban bus concessionaire, as well as the planned spending commitment for the 2024/2025 academic year, amounting to €159,000: €65,000 to finance this service during the last four months of this year and €94,000 for the period from January to June 2026.

Moreno recalled that "through these grants, we encourage students studying at Salt de l'Aigua to travel to the complex by public transport, thereby reducing the influx of vehicles in the area and acting according to sustainability and mobility criteria, since, as we all know, public transport is the most environmentally friendly alternative for urban travel."

The councillor added that, with these grants, "we are providing families with another tool to make their daily lives easier, with a safe and funded transportation service so their children can attend seven preschool, primary, and secondary schools."

As she explained, "these grants are aimed at students registered in Benidorm who are not included in the Generalitat's subsidy system. Therefore, together, both administrations are subsidising a very high percentage of students at the Salt de l'Aigua school complex and the IES Mediterrània," with an application period that runs from September 8th—the first day of classes—to the last school day in June 2026, corresponding to each stage of the education included in the call.

As in previous years, this subsidy covers 100% of the cost of the service for students in the second cycle of Early Childhood and Primary Education, so these children travel free of charge. Meanwhile, part of the fare is subsidised for students in Secondary, Baccalaureate, and cycles, who must apply for the corresponding Municipal School Pass at City Hall.

The requirements to qualify for this aid include having a family residence in Benidorm, being registered in the city and maintaining that registration on the municipal register during the 2025-2026 school year; attending a school in Salt de l'Aigua or a local public high school during the 2025-2026 school year; being excluded from regional school transportation; and having been awarded the Municipal School Pass or appearing on the monthly lists of students receiving the municipal subsidy, as reported by the schools in Salt de l'Aigua and supervised by the Department of Education.

Applications for participation, which will remain open throughout the school year, will be submitted to the Department of Education by the families of secondary school students or by the school principals, with the prior authorisation of the parents of the students concerned.

The Councillor for Education reported that last year, more than 750 students in preschool and primary school at the Gabriel Miró and Mestre Gaspar López schools, and in secondary and post-compulsory education at the city's five secondary schools, benefited from this municipal aid.

Finally, Maite Moreno reiterated, once again, "the firm commitment of Benidorm City Council to education and the educational community, promoting aid such as school transportation, psycho-pedagogical treatment, academic support, or the purchase of school supplies for the second cycle of preschool," among others.