Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I do not underestimate the challenge it has posed for parents. Of the more than 161,000 young people transported, the vast majority were transported seamlessly and positively and it worked as it was supposed to. There were isolated instances here and there. I do not underestimate the difficulty that caused for parents and guardians, especially the last-minute nature. It is far from ideal. It is not acceptable that a contract can be returned the night before the route is supposed to commence. There has been considerable engagement by Bus Éireann with everybody concerned and between my Department and Bus Éireann. I met Bus Éireann on this matter so that it will be as smooth a transition as possible in September. You cannot account for the unexpected but every possible procedure has been put in place and every possible requirement on behalf of all involved is being met, as far as we are concerned. The Deputy referenced to it being earlier. We put it in place earlier last year and this year to facilitate earlier roll-out. As the Deputy is aware, we are also piloting two different types of scheme this year as part of school transport 2030, which means we will look at engaging with public transport and school transport. A second pilot will look at something similar and some of the other recommendations.

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