Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 10 April 2024
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Skills
Key Issues for the Department of Education: Minister for Education
Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source
In 2024-2025, it will be on a pilot basis. Senator Dolan was keen to know about the pilots as well. We are not in a position today to announce those pilots but we will announce them shortly and it will be a combination of using public transport and the second type focused, where possible, on the reduction in distance.
The change of language around discretionary and not eligible is just that: a change of language. As it stands, those who are concessionary are not eligible but there is a view if you are concessionary you are eligible. It is just a clarification. It is our overall aim to have 100,000 extra young people on the buses by 2030. Nothing happens by magic or overnight, but that is the overall aim.
We currently have 161,000 young people availing of the school transport system. That is an extraordinary advantage and boost to families and it limits the number of cars on the road. It has many positives. The more people we can encourage to utilise the system, the better. It requires quite a bit of work and additional buses and bus drivers. There is scope to reach out into existing services, including those provided by the public transport system, which has, particularly in rural Ireland, grown and developed over the years. It is an ambitious target of an additional 100,000 but a worthwhile one. Did I miss something else the Deputy asked?
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