Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 September 2020
524. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Education if the hiring of extra school buses by her Department due to Covid-19 will be under the same terms and conditions including payment as applies to the existing school transport fleet; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21723/20]
View answerSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of over €219m in 2019.
Based on the public health advice published in early July, my Department has been planning for School Transport Scheme services for the 2020/2021school year to fully operate, but with additional measures and hygiene requirements in place. The Department has been engaging intensively with Bus Éireann in regard to the logistics for the safe operation of School Transport Scheme services for the 2020/2021 school year.
On foot of this advice it was decided by Government that the operation of post-primary school transport services would commence operation when schools re-open pending the development of additional measures to support physical distancing on the post primary buses. My Department is engaging with Bus Éireann to implement these measures on a rolling basis to support this physical distancing as required.
Given the timing of this most recent advice from NPHET so close to the start of the new term, my Department is not withdrawing post-primary transport services as to do so would cause difficulty for many families in getting their children to school. My Department is engaging with Bus Éireann to implement measures so that any services that can operate from the start of the school year at 50% capacity will do so and over the coming period all other post-primary transport services and services for children of post-primary school going age will be re-organised and additional services will be provided as required to allow for physical distancing.
Bus Éireann is conducting a full assessment to see where re-organisation or re-scheduling of services is possible. In addition, Bus Éireann has recently invited applications from operators who wish to be considered for the provision of additional post-primary services that may be required. These services are required to cater for additional capacity in light of the most recent public health advice and will continue to be required while that advice remains in place. The general terms and conditions for these contracts will be in line with what Bus Éireann currently hold with existing school transport contractors.
