Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy is correct that this is not the only example. It is a cruel and critical problem for every family affected. If I recall correctly, 20,000 students throughout the country are on bus services not provided by the Department of Education and Skills. Many of these services are in particular difficulty because of the 50% rule concerning capacity of bus services. The local Flexibus service is a brilliant company, but there is a clear difference between an operation of that type and a bus service run exclusively for a school and its students. That cannot be funded by the NTA. By definition, Local Link services are open to all and are not school-specific. If we changed the rules in this location, we would have to change them for the entire country, which would undermine the public Local Link services everywhere. It is unfortunate that the example the Deputy has raised is caught in the gap between a public bus service and an school service. There is no easy resolution to this, but the NTA will engage with Flexibus to see what steps are possible.

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