Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 January 2023
704. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education when a student (details supplied) will be allocated a school bus ticket, given the Bus Éireann school transport section has failed to respond to queries from this Deputy. [63633/22]
View answerThe School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 147,900 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country.
In addition, school transport scheme services are being provided in the current school year for over 3,800 children who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine.
The total cost of the scheme in 2022 was €332.2m.
Children are eligible for transport at primary level where they reside not less than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest national school, and at post primary level where they reside not less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest post primary school/education centre as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
Children who are eligible for school transport and who have completed the application process on time will be accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation.
Children who are not eligible for school transport, but who completed the application process on time, will be considered for spare seats that may exist after eligible children have been facilitated; such seats are referred to as concessionary seats.
Bus Éireann has advised that the children referred to by the Deputy are eligible for school transport under the terms of the scheme but were unsuccessful in obtaining seats on board school transport services for the 2022/23 school year as they did not complete the ticket registration process by the closing date of 29 July. All existing services in this area are currently operating at capacity.
