Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 September 2023
181. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education if she will clarify the steps that are being taken to provide the school bus route for children from Shinrone, County Offaly, to Borrisokane, as children were only informed the evening before school started that there was no driver for this route; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42031/23]
View answerThe School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2022/2023 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.
In addition, school transport scheme services were provided for over 5,400 children who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine.
The total cost of the scheme in 2022 was €338.9m.
Already over 133000 tickets have issued for the 2023/2024 school year which is an increase of 12% when compared with the start of the 2022/2023 school year. This number of tickets issued so far has already exceeded the total number of tickets issued in the 2022/23 school year.
Bus Éireann has reported that unfortunately, for a small number of families assigned to school transport services, a number of difficulties have arisen in some localities with just under 2% of contracted services nationally affecting less then 1.25% of those pupils who have been issued with a ticket. These services were secured for the 2023/2024 school year however, Bus Éireann was informed at the last minute that due to driver/contractor unavailability, services could not commence as expected.
However Bus Éireann have confirmed that a driver has been sourced for the service in question and the service commenced on the 25th September 2023.
