School Transport

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 September 2022

Tuesday, 27 September 2022

Questions (224, 242, 243, 244)

Sorca Clarke

Question:

224. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education the number of children who have no access to school transport, by county in tabular form. [46575/22]

Michael Fitzmaurice

Question:

242. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Education the number of children who applied for and received school bus tickets to date in 2022 who are attending a secondary school and who did not previously hold a school bus ticket; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46716/22]

Michael Fitzmaurice

Question:

243. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Education the number of children who applied for and received school bus tickets to date in 2022 who are attending a primary school and who did not previously hold a ticket; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46717/22]

Michael Fitzmaurice

Question:

244. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Education the number of children who applied for a school bus ticket to date in 2022 who are attending a secondary school and were refused a ticket due to there being no place on the bus; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46718/22]

Written answers

Minister for Education

I propose to take Questions Nos. 224 and 242 to 244, inclusive, together.

School 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.

Ticket registration for the 2022/23 school year closed on 29 July by which time almost 130,000 applications/registrations were received for mainstream school transport. This figure includes 44,299 new applications as well as roll-overs from the previous school year. Already 124,000 tickets for the 2022/2023 school year have been issued to applicants for the new school year.

At the start of the last school year, there were circa 103,600 children carried on mainstream school transport services so already in the region of 20,400 additional places have been created a 20% overall increase. There has been an increase of 18% to date in the number of tickets issued to eligible pupils and an increase of 27% to date on the number of tickets issued to concessionary pupils, compared to the start of the 2021/2022 school year.

Additional transport and drivers have been secured to cater for this increased demand for services.

The information requested by the Deputy is not available in the manner requested, as numbers are still being finalised for the 2022/23 school year as Bus Éireann continue to process applications, it is estimated however, that as of 20th September circa 600 on time applications are still in the process of being assessed.

Bus Éireann will continue to process applications and to issue tickets as soon as extra buses and drivers are sourced and become available to provide transport for the higher numbers qualifying for the service. However, regrettably the unprecedented numbers of new applications for the upcoming school year, has led to some delays in issuing tickets.

As Bus Éireann process remaining applications and where additional services may need to be put in place for eligible children, any capacity on these services will be offered to concessionary applicants.

The normal eligibility criteria of the scheme still apply.

Pupils at primary level are eligible where they live no less than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest primary school.

At post-primary level students who live no less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest post primary school/education centre are deemed eligible.

All children who are eligible for school transport and who complete the application process on time and who confirmed to Bus Éireann that they require a ticket by the 29th July 2022 will be accommodated on school transport services for the 2022/23 school year where such services are in operation.

In addition, pending completion of the outcome of the full review of the School Transport Scheme, Temporary Alleviation Measures at post-primary level be continued for the 2022/2023 school year. Under these measures, which were initially introduced in 2019, transport will provided for post-primary pupils who are eligible for transport to their nearest school and are attending their second nearest school and who applied by the 29th April and registered for a ticket by 29 July.

Any pupils/students who do not meet these criteria are deemed not eligible, or otherwise known as concessionary, applicants and are allocated a ticket based on the availability of a seat on when all eligible children have been catered for.

Because of the nature of concessionary transport for non-eligible pupils/students and the priority of providing places for eligible ticket holders, there may be an excess of demand over supply for concessionary places, in these cases Bus Éireann will allocate tickets for spare seats using an agreed selection process.