Robert O'Donoghue (Dublin Fingal West, Labour)
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I wish to address the ongoing issue of communication, or more accurately the lack thereof, from Bus Éireann with public representatives. Numerous emails from my office and from colleagues I have talked to have gone unanswered. In other cases, I was even asked to provide written consent from constituents confirming I had their permission to contact Bus Éireann on their behalf. I did exactly that, yet weeks later there has still been no response. The current Oireachtas communication line to Bus Éireann is wholly ineffective. We need to consider a simpler and more direct system. Like the Minister of State, I contact many offices throughout the day for my constituents. I get an answer from some within hours. Some come back in a couple of days, but Bus Éireann communication is at times non-existent. I urge him to seriously examine the communications process between Bus Éireann and public representatives. It is not working currently. It must be modernised and made more accountable.

I will turn to school transport issues in Fingal West. There continue to be multiple problems for children trying to access school transport. To be fair, when my office raised the issue of transport for Rush and Lusk Educate Together and the ASD students attending the school, with the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, the matter was resolved in a couple of days. I acknowledge and thank him for his prompt action on that. However, the situation in Kildare town remains deeply concerning. Some 29 students who attend Curragh Community College do not have access to a school bus. These families are doing everything right but are being failed by a lack of planning and communication. The local school in Kildare town is oversubscribed. While a new school was approved as far back as 2018, it only recently received planning permission and construction is yet to begin. It is highly likely that school will not be open in time for the next academic year. The issue was raised directly with the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, who assured Deputy Wall's office that he would personally look into it. However, all that has been received since is a generic reply from his office. These students urgently need a school bus. We cannot continue to punish working families because of poor planning and delays.

I also raise the ongoing issue with the Educate Together school in Rathcoole. Bus Éireann continues to refuse to provide a transport service, insisting parents should simply move their children to another school.

This is simply not an option. There are no available places in the nearby schools, so parents are being placed in an impossible position through no fault of their own.

The situation is unacceptable. Those are just three examples in a long list of school transport issues that have spread countrywide. Bus Éireann's rigid approach and the Department’s lack of flexibility are leaving families stranded. This is a clear example of how communications failures and poor planning directly impact children's education and parents’ daily lives. It is time for a practical, compassionate approach that puts students and families first.

Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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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.

Robert O'Donoghue (Dublin Fingal West, Labour)
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We are all aware that it is there because we all use it. However, what parents and public representatives need are results. We need a good communication channel and we need Bus Éireann to start replying to those emails. We need accountability in a system that works. It is simply not acceptable that elected representatives, who are trying to resolve issues for their constituents, are left for weeks without a basic response. It is not good governance, it is not transparency and it is certainly not respect for the public.

Regarding school transport, the examples raised today from Fingal west, Kildare town and Rathcoole are not isolated. They are symptomatic of a wider systemic failure in planning and communication between the Department and Bus Éireann. Working families are being punished because of delays and poor planning. Parents are driving long distances before and after work because no transport is available. Children are missing out on education simply because we cannot match capacity to need. People do not want excuses; they want solutions. They want a transport system that is responsive, fair and child-centred. I urge the Government to take immediate steps to overhaul the communications process with Bus Éireann, ensure direct accountability and provide the resources needed to meet the demand in the communities.

Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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I thank the Deputy for the opportunity to update him on school transport. I remind him of the increase in the number of tickets issued for the 2025-26 school year to date, with an increase of 6% in tickets issued when compared to the same time last year. While Bus Éireann has reported challenges in sourcing contractors and drivers, not only for school transport but in the wider transport sector nationally, it indicates that a lot of progress has been made in sourcing transport for the majority of pupils. Looking forward to the next school year, 2026-27, a lot of work is being done to enhance the current operation to continue to improve technology and improve the customer experience further.

It is recognised that the school transport scheme is vital to families in certain areas to support them in bringing their children to school. The availability of transport to school can be a critical component for children to access education. I want to reiterate the sheer volume of the scheme, with over 179,000 children transported daily in approximately 8,200 vehicles across 10,600 routes to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. These daily trips cover over 100 million km annually.

This is an issue in my own constituency, and every Member of this House can raise issues in this regard. While the Minister is trying to find solutions, there are challenges in trying to source contractors and, in particular, drivers. When I was on the other side of the House, I always said that we should raise the retirement age for school bus drivers to 70. People can drive an ordinary bus up to any age but school bus drivers have to retire when they are 65. We are looking at that and, hopefully, if it can happen, it will help the situation. I will ensure the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, keeps Deputy O'Donoghue updated on the issue he has raised.