Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 March 2023
782. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Education if she will request that Bus Éireann school transport review the current school bus route for a school (details supplied); if she will request that Bus Éireann reconfigures this route to include the home of a student so that they can avail of school transport; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13782/23]
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 €338.9m.
Children are eligible for transport 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
All school transport services are reviewed over the summer months. Arising from this review, routes may be altered, extended or withdrawn depending on the number and location of eligible children who will be availing of school transport for the following school year.
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.
Under the terms of the scheme, the availability of concessionary transport varies from year to year based on the capacity on the buses running on all of the various routes and the number of eligible children accommodated on each route.
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 as they do not meet the distance criteria and was unsuccessful in obtaining a seat on board a school transport service for the 2022/23 school year as no service is available from where they reside.
