Seán Sherlock
Question:346. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Education the status of an appeal for school transport by as a result of an email technicality (details supplied). [47867/22]
View answerTuesday, 4 October 2022
Questions (346)
Written answers
The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the 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.
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.
In addition to issuing emails, a strong emphasis is placed on advertising the closing date through both website and social media platforms. Bus Éireann advertised the closing date through their website and social media platforms. The closing date was also advertised through the Department of Education, Public Representatives and other forms of media channels.
The email notifications that are issued are intended as a reminder but are not required for a ticket request to be made.
On 19th August 2022, an appeal in respect of this application was lodged with the School Transport Appeals Board. The Board will liaise directly with the appellant when the appeal is due for consideration.