Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 October 2022
276. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education if and when school transport will be facilitated in the case of the daughter of a person (details supplied) who has been refused school transport despite the school being their nearest post-primary all-Irish school; if arrangements can be made to ensure that she can avail of the school transport service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51054/22]
View answerThe 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.
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.
Under the terms of the School Transport Schemes children are eligible for transport at primary level where they reside not less than 3.2 kms from and are attending their nearest national school, and at post primary level where they reside not less than 4.8 kms from and are attending their nearest post primary school/education centre as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
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.
Bus Éireann has advised that a ticket request was received for the child referred to by the Deputy on 29/08/2022. The child was unsuccessful in obtaining a seat on board a school transport service for the 2022/23 school year as the existing service was already operating to capacity.
