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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 30 Sep 1997

Vol. 480 No. 6

Written Answers - School Transport.

Michael Ring

Question:

550 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Education whether a child (details supplied) in County Mayo can be picked up outside her home, which is along the school route and which the school bus driver states will not put him out, from September 1997, in view of the fact that the child's mother is expecting another child in September and will be unable to walk the sixth of a mile to drop off and collect the child twice daily with the new baby in tow. [14263/97]

In general, primary school transport routes are organised so that no eligible child will have more than 1.5 miles to travel to a pick-up point. Pupils who live off the main route are expected to make their own way to a pick-up point. Home pick-ups were never envisaged as part of the school transport scheme. To provide a door to door service on a countrywide basis would be unsustainable for operational and cost reasons.

The pupil referred to by the Deputy lives 0.6 miles from the pick-up point. This level of service is well within my Department's guidelines and is considered reasonable in the overall context of the school transport scheme.

In this context, I regret that it is not possible to make the change requested by the Deputy.

Michael Ring

Question:

551 Mr. Ring asked the Minister for Education the reason the children of four separate families (details supplied) in County Mayo, who live in one area, cannot be picked up along their own road rather than at pick-up points located some two and a half miles away. [14264/97]

As a rule, post-primary school transport routes are planned so that no eligible child will have more than three miles to travel to pick-up point. Pupils living off the main route of a service are generally expected to make their own way, or to be brought to convenient pick-up points along the main route.

The four families in question live between 1.3 miles and 2.1 miles from the present pick-up point. This is considered to be a reasonable and adequate level of service in the context of the general operation of the scheme.

As an extension to the present route would inconvenience 15 other pupils on this service, who already have an early pick-up time of 7.45 a.m., I regret that it is not possible to make the change requested by the Deputy.
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