Seán Sherlock
Question:111. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Education if she will allow seat access for children (details supplied) for a school transport route. [3783/22]
View answerWednesday, 26 January 2022
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Written answers
School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €289m in 2021.
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.
Under the terms of the Department's Primary School Transport Scheme children are eligible for school transport where they reside not less than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest primary school as determined by my Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
All children who are eligible for school transport and who completed the application and payment process on will be accommodated on school transport services for the 2021/22 school year where such services are in operation.
Following an application for school transport, children who are not eligible based on the criteria set out above are considered for spare seats that may exist after eligible children have been facilitated; such seats are referred to as concessionary seats and can only be offered once there is spare capacity available.
Bus Éireann has advised that the family referred to by the Deputy resides 2.6kms from the school that they are attending and therefore they are not eligible for school transport. There was no spare capacity available to the pupils in question under the selection process for concessionary seats for the 21/22 school year.