Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)

The school transport scheme is a scheme of national application. To be eligible for school transport, there is a minimum distance requirement of 3.2 km in the case of primary children and 4.8 km in the case of post-primary children.

The methodology used by Bus Éireann to establish eligibility based on distance has not changed. It is and always has been the distance from the child's home to the nearest appropriate school by the shortest traversable route. The actual point at which children are picked up on a school bus route is not, and never has been, a relevant factor in determining eligibility.

See this speech in context