Vol. 473 No. 4
359 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Education whether a secondary school transport service (details supplied) in County Mayo can be extended in view of the fact that a more extensive level of service is already provided for primary school children. [1289/97]
School transport routes are planned so that no eligible post-primary pupil will have more than three miles to travel to a pick-up point, and eligible children on primary routes will have no more than 1.5 miles to travel to a pick-up point.
Pupils living off the main route of a service are generally expected to make their own way to convenient pick-up points along the main route.
The current level of service is well within my Department's guidelines and is considered to be reasonable in the context of the general operation of the school transport scheme.
Accordingly, the present arrangement is the most that can be offered.
