Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 19 October 2022
122. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Education if an eligible pupil (details supplied) in County Mayo will be provided with school transport, in light of the additional funding which was approved in Budget 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52447/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. 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.
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.
Bus Éireann has advised that the child referred to by the Deputy is eligible for school transport under the terms of the scheme, however, a ticket request was received after the closing date of 29th July. All existing services in the area are operating at capacity.
It is important to note that the application deadline for 2022/23 was 29 April 2022, and that the deadline to confirm registration for tickets was 29 July 2022. Any application completed after this date is a ‘late application’ and therefore, many school transport services are already operating at full capacity. Late applications will only be assessed after all “on time” applications have been processed and there can be no guarantee of places for late applicants.
As part of the budgetary process some additional funding has been approved for the scheme which will allow officials in consultation with Bus Éireann to consider and evaluate where temporary additional capacity may be available.
The initial focus will be where families applied and registered on time and who previously held concessionary tickets, however, it is important to stress that this is subject to capacity considerations. Constraints in sourcing vehicles and drivers in certain areas of the country may also mean that it may take a number of weeks to explore solutions for additional capacity.
Bus Éireann will liaise directly with families where such services have been sourced in the coming weeks.
