School transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.
During the 2016/17 school year almost 116,000 children, including some 12,000 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 4,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually.
The purpose of my 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.
Children are eligible for school transport where they satisfy the distance criterion and are attending their nearest national school or post primary education centre, having regard to ethos and language.
This service is delivered using a mix of Bus Éireann, both school transport and road passenger vehicles, private contractor vehicles including private operator scheduled services, and Dublin Bus, Irish Rail, DART and LUAS where practical.
In accordance with the terms of my Department's School Transport Scheme school transport services operate during the 'Standard School Year' and facilitate a child's attendance during normal school opening and closing times.
A school transport ticket is not a general commuter ticket that is valid on all regular public transport services at all times and it is not offered as such. Given the numbers being transported nationally, it would not be possible without incurring additional expenditure to offer the flexibility to all eligible pupils to travel on the regular public transport services, other than in accordance with the terms of the Scheme.
