Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 September 2020
520. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Education the provisions that will be made for private bus operators that convey secondary school pupils and now will be operating at 50% capacity but incurring the same costs. [21676/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of over €219m in 2019.
Updated health advice was received from NPHET on the 18th August, which impacts on the operation of post-primary school transport services. This advice stated that for secondary school students on school transport, social distancing should be ensured in line with that on public transport along with the wearing of face coverings.
Following the most recent advice from NPHET , the Government decided that the arrangements made for post-primary school transport scheme services would commence operation when schools re-open with additional measures and hygiene requirements in place and with the rolling implementation of measures to provide physical distancing, in line with those required on public transport, that is, using 50% passenger capacity, on post-primary services as required.
My Department is engaging with Bus Éireann in respect of these plans, in order to implement measures and I can confirm that any services that could operate from the start of the school year at 50% capacity has done so and over the coming period all other post-primary transport services will be re-organised and additional services will be provided as required to allow for physical distancing.
Commercial contractors who provide transport for schools on a private hire or commercial basis but who are not contracted by Bus Éireann to operate on the Department’s School Transport Scheme do not fall under the remit of the Department of Education. However, the Department has reminded schools and other stakeholders that public health advice is best practice on these services also.
