Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)

I am responding on behalf of the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Moynihan, who, unfortunately, cannot be present today. On the Minister of State’s behalf, I welcome the opportunity to respond to this matter and thank Deputy O’Donoghue for his question.

The school transport scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education and Youth. It is made up of the primary scheme, the post-primary scheme and the scheme for pupils with special educational needs. Bus Éireann officials have reported challenges in sourcing contractors and drivers nationally. A number of contractors have handed back contracts while, in some places, there have been no bids for contracts. Transport challenges are concentrated in some parts of the country, particularly Dublin, Galway, Meath and Kildare. A number of contractors in the east have ceased school transport operations in recent weeks.

Bus Éireann is prioritising putting in place transport for eligible pupils as quickly as possible. It is important to state that both the Department and Bus Éireann acknowledge and appreciate the role of Oireachtas Members in making representations on behalf of their constituents, and recognise the role of Oireachtas Members in communicating ongoing developments regarding the provision of school transport across the country.

The school transport scheme has expanded significantly in the past six years. In that time, the number of children and young people using the service has grown from under 120,000 pupils in 2018 to over 179,000 pupils in 2025, which equates to an increase of 48%. A total of 1,549 routes were also tendered by Bus Éireann during the summer. In line with such scaling of operations, there has understandably also been an increase in representations. Bus Éireann has advised that representations received by it this year have increased by 50% compared to last year.

Bus Éireann has a dedicated email address for public representatives and a dedicated customer service operation in place to assist members of the public seeking updates on their school transport applications and the operation of services more generally.

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