Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 31 May 2022
408. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education the number of children that applied for the school transport scheme for the 2021/2022 school year and were deemed ineligible; and the estimated cost to provide school transport free of charge to those children. [27781/22]
View answerSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education.
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 and who complete the application and payment process on time are accommodated on school transport where such services are in operation.
Bus Éireann have informed the Department in the 2021/22 school year the number of tickets issued amounted to 123,855. Of this figure 29,945 were concessionary (ineligible) mainstream pupils and 55 were SEN concessionary pupils.
In the same school year, they confirmed that 1,030 eligible pupils who paid late were unsuccessful in obtaining a ticket.
The average cost of providing transport for a child to a primary or post-primary school is estimated at €1,000 per annum. The average cost to provide transport for a child who requires Special Educational Needs transport is estimated at €9,000 per annum.
The estimated cost of providing 30,000 bus places free of charge for the 2022-2023 school year would be dependent on the breakdown of the numbers of children that require transport for the primary and post primary schemes and the Special Educational Needs transport scheme.
