Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 September 2022
894. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Education if her Department will supply a list of the school transport fleet, broken down by depot, age, type of bus and accessibility; the training, if any, that has been provided to drivers, Bus Éireann or private contractors in the use of the wheelchair lifts where high-sided coaches have been cascaded down to the school transport fleet; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43111/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra895. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Education when students at primary and second level can expect to have a fully accessible school transport fleet available to them to facilitate compliance with Articles 9 and 24 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43112/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra897. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Education the steps that she will take to ensure that accessible fleet is allocated to where it is actually required in order to facilitate compliance with Articles 9 and 24 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, so far as is practicable and reasonable and taking into account the inaccessible nature of the fleet at the present time; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43114/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra898. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Education if she will provide a breakdown of the new school transport fleet that has been purchased between each of the years 2011 to 2021 and to date in 2022; the level of accessibility of same; the location of this fleet; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43115/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 894, 895, 897 and 898 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 the Special Educational Needs (SEN) Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children with special educational needs. Under the terms of the scheme children are eligible for transport where they have special educational needs arising from a diagnosed disability and are attending the nearest recognised mainstream school, special class/special school or unit, that is or can be resourced, to meet their special educational needs.
Bus Éireann on behalf of the department arrange the provision of SEN transport for each applicant, the care and safety needs while on school transport are considered in each case. Specific transport arrangements are provided in certain circumstances where it is identified based on the individual needs of the child.
The school transport fleet is made up of both contractors and Bus Éireann vehicles which amounts to over 6000 vehicles of which in the region of 94% are owned by private contractors under contract to Bus Éireann for the operation of school transport scheme services. The detailed information relating to fleet is not available in the manner requested by the Deputy at this time.
With regard to fleet purchase, in 2016 The Department of Education approved capital investment of €4.16m for Bus Éireann to purchase twenty buses for the School Transport fleet. In addition, the Bus Éireann school transport scheme benefits from the availability of cascaded vehicles from the wider Bus Éireann PSO fleet for use on direct provision services, due to the extended operating life of vehicles used on school transport services.
The Department engages with the Department of Transport and the National Transport Authority in relation to the availability of future cascades, however, many of the rural bus stops used for school transport services lack suitable infrastructure for the operation of accessible vehicles.
