Gerry Reynolds
Question:440 Mr. G. Reynolds asked the Minister for Education and Science the reason a person (details supplied) in County Sligo has to walk 1.3 miles to a pick-up point for primary school transport. [6715/02]
Written Answers. - School Transport.
As a rule, primary school transport routes are planned so that as far as possible no eligible child will have more than 1.5 miles to travel to a pick-up point. Pupils who live 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. Home pick-ups were never envisaged as being part of the school transport scheme as the cost involved on a countrywide level would be prohibitive.
The position in this case is that the family concerned reside 1.3 miles from the route of service to the school in question. As this is considered to be an adequate level of service in the context of the general operation of the scheme, and as extra cost would be incurred in extending the route as requested, it is regretted that the current arrangement is the most that can be offered.