School Transport

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 October 2021

Tuesday, 12 October 2021

Questions (306)

Matt Carthy

Question:

306. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Education the number of those eligible for school transport applicants that had or have not yet secured a place on a bus due to late payment of fees by county and month from September 2021 to date in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49743/21]

Written answers

Minister for Education

The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the 2020/2021 school year over 114,100 children, including over 14,700 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €224.7m in 2020.

The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school.

All children who are eligible for school transport and who completed the application and payment process on time for the 2021/22 school year will be accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation. In addition, all post-primary pupils who are otherwise eligible for school transport but are attending their second nearest school and who have applied and paid on time will be accommodated on school transport services. This arrangement is in place for current school year pending completion of the full review of the School Transport Scheme.

Children who are not eligible for school transport may apply for transport on a concessionary basis only and are offered seats where capacity exists after all eligible children have been catered for.

Late applicants and/or families who pay late are not guaranteed a seat and will only be allocated a seat if capacity is available once seats are allocated to those families who applied and paid on time for transport services for the 2021/2022 school year.

Bus Éireann has provided the information the Deputy requires in the two tables which are attached - details of mainstream eligible pupils who paid late where no ticket has been issued and mainstream eligible pupils who paid late where a ticket has been issued.

Mainstream Eligible Paid Late by County & Month Where No Ticket has been issued – 2021/22 School Year

County	August	September	October	Grand Total
Carlow	11	3	0	14
Cavan	54	13	2	69
Clare	12	12	2	26
Cork	82	29	5	116
Donegal	80	51	4	135
Dublin	12	22	5	39
Galway	164	43	3	210
Kerry	58	12	3	73
Kildare	36	16	2	54
Kilkenny	1	0	1	2
Laois	12	3	0	15
Leitrim	12	19	0	31
Limerick	2	5	2	9
Longford	22	7	0	29
Louth	43	20	2	65
Mayo	41	15	3	59
Meath	36	22	4	62
Monaghan	28	10	0	38
Offaly	21	1	0	22
Roscommon	15	4	2	21
Sligo	19	13	0	32
Tipperary	11	12	2	25
Waterford	1	1	2	4
Westmeath	9	7	1	17
Wexford	3	0	3	6
Wicklow	28	8	2	38
Grand Total	813	348	50	1211

Mainstream Eligible Paid Late by County & Month Where a Ticket Has Been Issued – 2021/22 School Year

County	August	September	October	Grand Total
Carlow	75	10	1	86
Cavan	78	25	2	105
Clare	94	22	1	117
Cork	210	65	8	283
Donegal	339	151	54	544
Dublin	69	21	0	90
Galway	193	63	17	273
Kerry	173	42	2	217
Kildare	83	41	4	128
Kilkenny	96	38	4	138
Laois	40	7	0	47
Leitrim	41	14	0	55
Limerick	169	66	1	236
Longford	34	16	1	51
Louth	91	35	1	127
Mayo	163	75	0	238
Meath	60	37	1	98
Monaghan	87	26	0	113
Offaly	46	18	0	64
Roscommon	33	11	3	47
Sligo	50	21	0	71
Tipperary	187	42	4	233
Waterford	91	36	0	127
Westmeath	49	30	0	79
Wexford	193	99	5	297
Wicklow	43	31	3	77
Grand Total	2787	1042	112	3941