Written answers

Tuesday, 27 September 2016

Department of Education and Skills

School Transport

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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309. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the way in which it is proposed to restore the school transport services previously available to the children in the Johnstownbridge and Kilshanroe areas of north Kildare in view of the extreme hardship caused to children and their parents and keeping in mind that no action was to be taken until after a review of the school transport system; his views on the need to take immediate steps to address the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27330/16]

Photo of John HalliganJohn Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
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School transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.

During the 2015/16 school year in the region of 114,000 children, including some 10,000 children with special educational needs, were transported in approximately 4,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually.

In general, children are eligible for school transport if they are attending their nearest school and satisfy the requisite distance criteria.

Children who are not eligible for school transport may apply for transport on a concessionary basis only.

The Programme for Government commits to review the concessionary charges and rules element of the School Transport Scheme prior to Budget 2017.

Pending this review, there was no planned programme of downsizing school buses in the current school year. There were route changes and variations in line with normal operational decisions that occur from year to year, and any impacts in terms of increases or decreases of available places nationally was marginal, in line with what occurs every year.

It is important to point out that there has been no impact on children who are eligible for school transport.

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