Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 September 2022
188. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Education if her Department will undertake an audit of school bus tickets to ensure children issued with tickets are consistently availing of their bus seat; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47543/22]
View answer190. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Education the number of eligible school transport applications that were received for each school year since 2018, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47545/22]
View answer191. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Education the number of concessionary school transport applications that were received for each school year since 2018, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47546/22]
View answer192. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Education the number of concessionary school transport tickets that were approved for the school year 2021-2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47547/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 188 and 190 to 192, inclusive, together.
The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of my Department. 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.
School Transport 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.
Numbers are still being finalised for the 2022/23 school year as Bus Éireann continue to process applications, it is therefore, not possible to provide detailed information for the current school year.
Bus Éireann will continue 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. Regrettably, however, the unprecedented numbers of new applications and some constraints in supply of vehicles and drivers has led to some delays in issuing tickets.
The information requested by the Deputy in relation to the years 2018-2021 is not readily available currently in the format requested. Once the data is compiled, I will arrange to have this information forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.
