Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 145: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he has studied the possibility of utilising school buses for other uses such as the transport to functions or for other relevant social or business activities in rural areas; his views on whether such a structure would allow more economic use of buses and justify the replacement of buses that are now 30 to 35 years old with more modern vehicles; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37948/08]

Seán Haughey (Dublin North Central, Fianna Fail)
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In the region of 4,000 vehicles are used each day in the school transport scheme. Over 80% of these vehicles are privately owned, most of these being small and medium sized buses.

The number of Bus Éireann school buses in use fluctuates on a monthly basis as more modern buses are introduced and others are withdrawn from service on a continual basis throughout the School Year. However, Bus Éireann use about 620 of their own buses to provide school transport each day, almost all of which are large capacity vehicles. Currently 18 Bus Éireann school buses, and 9 privately owned school buses under contract, are also used to provide one day a week rural transport services organised by Bus Éireann in the middle of the day between class times without impinging on the school transport timetable.

Where requests are made to Bus Éireann for the establishment of new rural transport services for social and business activities, it is a matter for the company to evaluate these requests. I previously indicated to the Deputy, that the cost of providing these services neither increases nor reduces the cost of school transport provided by my Department and in the same way the expanded use of the school buses for this purpose would not impact on the cost of the school transport provision. Bus Éireann is not aware of any buses in the scheme which are 30 to 35 years old.