Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 September 2016
302. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reasons a school transport bus service (details supplied) has been downsized from a 33-seater to a 24-seater; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27301/16]
View answerSchool transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.
During the 2015/16 school year in the region of 114,000 children, including some 10,000 children with special educational needs, were transported in approximately 4,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools annually throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres.
Bus Éireann is responsible for the procurement of contractors to provide transport services under the School Transport Scheme. Routes, bus sizes, pick up/set down points and timetables are planned on the basis of children who are eligible for school transport only.
The Programme for Government commits to review the concessionary charges and rules element of the School Transport Scheme prior to Budget 2017.
Pending this review, there was no planned programme of downsizing school buses in the current school year. There were route changes and variations in line with normal operational decisions that occur from year to year, and any impacts in terms of increases or decreases of available places nationally was marginal, in line with what occurs every year.
It is important to point out that there has been no impact on children who are eligible for school transport.
