John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will review the issue where a school bus has to collect 14 students to take them home and then return for the remaining six students waiting on the side of a regional road, unsupervised, for the bus to return (details supplied). [48154/12]

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Bus Éireann operates the school transport service on behalf of my Department. Routes are planned in such a way to ensure that, as far as possible, eligible pupils have a reasonable standard of service with regard to pick-up points and travel and waiting times, while at the same time, ensuring that school transport vehicles are fully utilised in the most efficient and cost effective manne.

My Department has been advised that the transport service referred to by the Deputy, in the details supplied, is operating within the guidelines of the school transport scheme. The school bus operates a double trip both morning and evening to accommodate the number of pupils offering for transport. The first trip in the afternoon carries pupils who reside south of the school and the second trip carries pupils who reside to the north of the school.

Double trips are a feature of the school transport scheme as operated throughout the country.