Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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267. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will authorise the extension of a national school bus route (details supplied) in the mornings with the agreement of Bus Éireann and the bus operator to extend this service at no extra cost; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2832/14]

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy will be aware that Bus Éireann is responsible for the planning and timetabling of school transport routes. Bus Éireann endeavours, within available resources, to ensure that each eligible child has a reasonable level of school transport service in the context of the Scheme nationally.

Routes are planned so that, as far as possible, no eligible child will have more than 2.4 kilometres to travel to a pick-up point. Children living off the main route of a service are generally expected to make their own way, or to be brought to convenient pick-up points along the main route. Home pick-ups were never envisaged as being part of the Primary School Transport Scheme as the cost involved on a national level would be prohibitive.

Bus Éireann has advised that eligible children who avail of the service in question have a service within the guidelines of the scheme. Accordingly, there are no proposals to change the current service, notwithstanding the fact that Bus Éireann has confirmed that there would be additional cost in doing so.