Robert Troy
Question:311. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education if she will make changes to the school bus route servicing an area (details supplied) [24750/23]
View answerTuesday, 23 May 2023
Questions (311)
Written answers
The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year, over 149,000 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. There has been an increase of 21% tickets issued to eligible students and 38% tickets issued on a concessionary basis in the current 2022/23 school year compared to the 2021/22 school year.
In addition, school transport scheme services are being provided in the current school year for over 5,200 children who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine.
The total cost of the scheme in 2022 was €338.9m.
The issues raised by the Deputy have been reviewed recently by Bus Éireann. The Local Area Inspector has reviewed the existing pickup point and has deemed this pickup point as safe.
There is an onus of responsibility on parents/guardians to arrange to bring their children to and from the pickup point of a school bus service, taking whatever safety precautions they consider sufficient in doing so, and accompanying the children to ensure their safety.