Berguedà opens applications for school canteen and transport grants 2026-27

The Berguedà County Council has opened the call for individual grants for school meals, mandatory travel, and non-mandatory school transport for the 2026-2027 academic year. The guidelines and calls, approved by agreement of the Presidency Council on April 8, 2026, are published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Barcelona (BOPB) on August 28, 2026, in the announcements section.

The grants are aimed at students in compulsory education and early childhood education at educational centers funded with public funds in the region, and are financed with funds from the Department of Education and Vocational Training of the Generalitat de Catalunya and with the County Council’s own funds. The documents, signed by the acting secretary Xavier Cobos Guixé on August 26, are published in full in the BOPB.

Four calls for the 2026-2027 academic year

The County Council has published four regulatory texts that govern the different school services:

• Individual grants for school meals (file 557/2026, CVE 202610135814, no. 2026-0039), for students in the second and third years of the first cycle of early childhood education, and for the second cycle of early childhood education and compulsory education.
• Individual grants for mandatory travel (file 558/2026, CVE 202610135812, no. 2026-0036), for students who do not have an educational offer in their municipality.
• Non-mandatory school transport service (file 559/2026, CVE 202610135811, no. 2026-0038), according to the routes established by the County Council.
• Free collective school transport services and mandatory school meals (file 560/2026, CVE 202610135810, no. 2026-0037), for students required to travel outside their municipality.

Requirements and grant amounts

To apply for meal grants, students must reside in Catalonia, be enrolled in a center supported by public funds in Berguedà, and use the meal service. Grants are awarded based on family income and socioeconomic situation:

• 70% grant of the cost of the meal service, if the family income does not exceed the established threshold.
• 100% grant for the guaranteed bracket, when the income does not exceed 60% of the 70% threshold.
• 100% grant for students with an accredited disability equal to or greater than 33%, with an income threshold of 2.5 times that of the 70% bracket.

In the case of mandatory travel grants, the distance from the home to the school center or to the nearest collective transport stop must be at least 3 km one way. These grants are regulated by Decree 161/1996, of May 14, while mandatory meals are governed by Decree 160/1996.

Deadlines and prices for non-mandatory transport

The ordinary deadline for submitting applications was from May 11 to 31, 2026, and late applications may be submitted starting June 1, 2026. Applications are formalized electronically through the Comarcal Council website (www.bergueda.cat), with one application per student.

The non-mandatory school transport service has a cost of:

• €1.5 per day per student.
• €1 per day for the second sibling.
• €0.5 per day from the third sibling onwards.

The amount must be paid in advance, in a single payment by September 1, 2026, at the latest, or by quarters (September 1, 2026, December 15, 2026, and March 16, 2027), via deposit into the La Caixa account in the name of the Consell Comarcal.

Impact on families

These calls for applications have a direct impact on families in Berguedà with school-age children, especially those with lower incomes or with students forced to travel outside their municipality due to a lack of educational offerings. The grants are subject to competitive bidding and budget availability, conditioned by the economic addendum authorized by the Department of Education and Vocational Training according to Agreement GOV/80/2023, of April 4, on the delegation of competencies to the comarcal councils.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Barcelona, no. 2026-0039, August 28, 2026, ANNOUNCEMENTS section (official reference: CVE 202610135814, file 557/2026).