Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 July 2023
467. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Minister for Education if she will ensure that siblings (details supplied) will be provided with school transport, which is now their only means of getting to school; if she will review the circumstances of this case; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36335/23]
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 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% in tickets issued to eligible students and an increase of 38% in 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 5,400 children who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine.
The total cost of the scheme in 2022 was €338.9 million.
Under the terms of my Department's Post Primary School Transport Scheme children are eligible for school transport where they reside not less than 4.8 km from and are attending their nearest school as determined by my Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
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.
Bus Éireann has advised that the children referred to by the Deputy are not eligible for school transport as they do not meet the distance criteria as set out in the post primary school transport scheme and are not attending their nearest school/post primary centre.
Bus Éireann also advise that all seats have been assigned to the existing school transport service, which is now full to capacity and there are currently no seats available for the 2023/24 school year.
