Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 July 2023
445. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Education whether she will consider increasing the capacity on a route where there has been significantly increased demand meaning that a number of students who previously had concessionary tickets have been unsuccessful in their applications for the 2023-2024 school year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36139/23]
View answerThe School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2022/23 school year, over 149,000 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country.
There has been an increase of 21% in tickets issued to eligible students and 38% in tickets issued on a concessionary basis in the 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 5,400 children who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine.
The total cost of the scheme in 2022 was €338.9m.
The purpose of the 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.
It remains that 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 and payment 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 complete the application and payment 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.
Because of the nature of concessionary transport for non-eligible children and the priority of providing places for eligible children, there may be an excess of demand over supply for concessionary places, in these cases Bus Éireann will allocate tickets for spare seats using an agreed selection process.
In addition, temporary alleviation measures will continue for the 2023/24 school year, pending completion of the school transport scheme review. This means that transport will be provided where such services are in operation for post-primary pupils who are eligible for transport to their nearest school and are attending their second nearest school and who apply and pay on time.
Bus Eireann review all new and existing applications and plan routes during the summer months for the upcoming school year. Bus Eireann consider the establishment of a route if at least 10 applications are received from eligible families from a distinct location before the application closing date, this being 28th April 2023 and the payment closing date of 9th June 2023 for the 2023/2024 school year.
Pending completion of the School Transport review, there will be no removal or downsizing of buses/routes for the 2023/2024 school year.
Any new applications made after the closing date of 28th April 2023 are considered late applications and families are not guaranteed a seat. A late application may mean that a ticket is not available.
