Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 September 2022
1029. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Education her plans to urgently increase capacity on the school transport scheme given the increase in demand for the 2022/2023 academic year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44172/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra1037. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education the steps that she is taking to address a matter in which concessionary school transport pupils have had their service withdrawn due to an oversubscription of eligible pupils due to the premature Government announcement of the removal of school bus charges; if her attention has been drawn to the fact that some families have been availing of these concessionary services for over a decade until the withdrawal of services in August 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44183/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 1029 and 1037 together.
School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the last school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €289m in 2021.
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.
In July 2022, Government announced funding for the waiving of school transport scheme fees for the coming school year as part of a wider package of cost of living measures.
Ticket registration for the 2022/23 school year closed on 29 July by which time almost 130,000 applications/registrations were received for mainstream school transport. This figure includes 44,299 new applications as well as roll-overs from the previous school year.
As of 1st September 2022, 121,000 tickets for the 2022/2023 school year have been issued to applicants for the new school year. This is a significant increase on the number on tickets issued in the 2021/2022 school year. Additional transport and drivers have been secured to cater for this increased demand for services.
Bus Éireann will continue to process applications and to issue tickets as soon as extra buses and drivers are sourced and become available to provide transport for the higher numbers qualifying for the service. However, regrettably the unprecedented numbers of new applications for the upcoming school year, has led to some delays in issuing tickets.
The normal eligibility criteria of the scheme still apply.
Pupils at primary level are eligible where they live no less than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest primary school.
At post-primary level students who live no less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest post primary school/education centre are deemed eligible.
All children who are eligible for school transport and who complete the application process on time and who confirmed to Bus Éireann that they require a ticket by the 29th July 2022 will be accommodated on school transport services for the 2022/23 school year where such services are in operation.
In addition, pending completion of the outcome of the full review of the School Transport Scheme, Temporary Alleviation Measures at post-primary level be continued for the 2022/2023 school year. Under these measures, which were initially introduced in 2019, transport will provided for post-primary pupils who are eligible for transport to their nearest school and are attending their second nearest school and who applied by the 29th April and registered for a ticket by the 29th July.
Any pupils/students who do not meet these criteria are deemed not eligible, or otherwise known as concessionary, applicants and are allocated a ticket based on the availability of a seat on when all eligible children have been catered for.
Because of the nature of concessionary transport for non-eligible pupils/students and the priority of providing places for eligible ticket holders, there may be an excess of demand over supply for concessionary places, in these cases Bus Éireann will allocate tickets for spare seats using an agreed selection process.
Bus Éireann is continuing to work through remaining applications and families will be contacted as further information is available.
