Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 November 2022
337. Deputy Michael Fitzmaurice asked the Minister for Education when a person (details supplied) who has applied for a bus ticket for transport to school will receive this ticket; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58805/22]
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.
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.
As part of the budgetary process, some additional funding has been approved for the scheme which has allowed officials in the Department of Education, in consultation with Bus Éireann, to provide additional capacity where it is possible to do so. Bus Éireann have been prioritising areas where there were students who did not meet the eligibility criteria but were “on time concessionary pupils” who had tickets previously.
It is important to stress that this is subject to capacity considerations. Constraints in sourcing vehicles and drivers in certain areas of the country may also mean that it may take a number of weeks to explore solutions for additional capacity.
Bus Éireann has advised that the child referred to by the Deputy is not eligible for school transport under the terms of the school transport scheme however, I am pleased to advise that the child was successful in obtaining a concessionary seat on a school transport service.
