Niamh Smyth
Ceist:573. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the case of a person (details supplied) will be reviewed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34524/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 24 July 2018
Ceisteanna (573)
Freagraí scríofa
School transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.
Currently over 116,000 children, including over 12,000 children with special educational needs, are being transported in over 4,500 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually at a total cost of almost €190 million in 2017.
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 generally eligible for school transport if they satisfy the distance criteria and are attending their nearest school.
Bus Éireann is responsible for the planning and timetabling of school transport routes. Bus Éireann endeavours, within available resources, to ensure that each eligible child has a reasonable level of school transport service in the context of the Scheme nationally.
Where practicable, and subject to considerations of cost and logistics, routes are planned to avoid an eligible child having to travel more than 2.4 kms to or from a pick up/set down point or to have travel and waiting times in excess of 1.5 hours per day. Routes are planned on the basis of the locations of children who are eligible for school transport only.
It is important to note that all children who are eligible for school transport are accommodated under the terms of the scheme.
The child referred to by the Deputy is not attending his nearest primary school and is therefore not eligible for school transport.
The terms of the School Transport Scheme are applied equitably on a national basis.