Catherine Murphy
Question:81. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education the average number of buses in the Bus Éireann school transport fleet for Kildare specifically for 2022 and 2023, in tabular form. [50086/23]
View answerWednesday, 15 November 2023
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Written answers
The 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.
Over 134,000 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. The number of tickets issued so far has already exceeded the total number of tickets issued in the 2022/23 school year. There has been an overall increase in both applications and tickets issued for the 2023/2024 school year in comparison to the 2022/2023 school year.
Bus Éireann plans and manages the countrywide network on behalf of the Department to ensure that services are provided in line with the specific requirements of the Department. While Bus Éireann operate a small number of routes directly, the majority of school transport routes are operated by private contractors. Bus Éireann is responsible for contracting private operators in line with procurement legislation for school transport routes nationwide.
Bus Éireann is also responsible for the planning and timetabling of school transport routes on behalf of my Department. New school transport routes are established on a demand-led basis, subject to eligibility requirements. A minimum number of 10 eligible children residing in a distinct locality, as determined by Bus Éireann, are required before consideration may be given to the establishment or retention of school transport services, provided this can be done within reasonable cost limits.
Bus Eireann has advised the number of vehicles in the school transport fleet for Kildare in 2022 and 2023 are illustrated in the table below:
|
-- |
2022 (Kildare) |
2023 (Kildare) |
|||
|
Contractor |
Bus Éireann |
Total |
Contractor |
Bus Éireann |
Total |
|
280 |
2 |
282 |
315 |
1 |
316 |