Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 14 September 2022
318. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education if she will engage with Bus Éireann in the context of developing a role at Bus Éireann that will liaise directly with schools in respect of the school transport scheme. [44749/22]
View answerSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the last school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 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 €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.
In July 2022, Government announced funding for the waiving of school transport scheme fees for the coming school year as part of a wider package of cost of living measures.
Bus Éireann have a number of Regional School Transport Offices, staff working in these offices are crucial in day to day operation of the School Transport Scheme. Part of the Service Supervisor's role is to plan every bus route – primary and post-primary - from the point of view of its suitability to accommodate the size of vehicle that will be used. The routes are designed annually based on the location of eligible pupils.
Every route and all pick-up points to be used are assessed for suitability before introduction and services are monitored and checked by Service Supervisors on an ongoing basis. When routes have been finalised, Bus Éireann then arranges transport either on scheduled services or on special school bus or taxi services. Bus Éireann Service Supervisors liaise locally with parents and school Principals in relation to the day to day operation of the scheme.
The Regional Office contact details can be found on www.buseireann.ie
