Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 4 July 2006
47 Mr. Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Education and Science the plans which are in place to ensure that a repeat of the 2005 school bus ticketing crisis will not occur in 2006; the further plans which are in place to allocate sufficient places well in advance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25986/06]
View answerLast July, Minister Hanafin and myself announced a package of measures to include the phasing out of the "3 for 2" seating arrangement on school buses.
The first phase commenced in September, 2005 on post-primary school transport services with the aim of providing each child with a seat by the end of December, 2005. This phase of the programme has now successfully concluded and plans are well advanced to provide children travelling on school buses to primary schools with single seats by the end of December, 2006.
In addition to phasing out the "3 for 2" seating, we moved to ensure the immediate fitting of seat belts on the Bus Éireann school bus fleet and set a target date of December, 2006 for private buses in the scheme to be fitted with approved seat belts.
The improved seating arrangements created a capacity shortfall in some areas, which was contributed to by the number of children availing of catchment boundary transport. However, I immediately authorised Bus Éireann, which operates the school transport services on my Department's behalf, to hire in additional vehicles from the private sector and to acquire extra buses for its own school transport fleet.
I must point out to the Deputy that, under the terms of my Department's Post Primary School Transport Scheme, a pupil is eligible for transport if she or he resides 4.8 kilometres or more from her or his local post primary education centre, that is, the centre serving the catchment area in which she or he lives.
Children who are fully eligible for transport to the post-primary centre in the catchment area in which they reside may apply for transport on a concessionary basis to a post primary centre outside of their own catchment area — otherwise known as catchment boundary transport. These children can only be facilitated if spare seats are available on the bus after all other eligible children travelling to their local post-primary centre have been catered for. Such children have to make their own way to the nearest pick up point within that catchment area.
Similarly, at primary level, children are eligible for transport if they reside 3.2 kilometres or more from their nearest primary school. They may avail of transport on a concessionary basis to another school, subject to certain conditions, if spare seats are available.
Significant investment has been made by the Government to address capacity shortfalls arising from the phasing out of the three for two seating arrangement on school buses. A programme for Bus Éireann to acquire a number of new and modern second-hand buses is well advanced. In addition, Bus Éireann has hired-in over 220 additional vehicles from the private sector.
I am confident that the additional vehicles being hired in and the extra buses being acquired by Bus Éireann will be sufficient to address any capacity shortfalls arising in the next school year. However, the situation will be closely monitored and corrective action taken, if necessary.
