Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

83. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a request for an alternative school drop off point was refused for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36446/16]

John Halligan (Waterford, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

School transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.

Currently in the region of 114,000 children, including some 10,000 children with special educational needs, are being transported in over 4,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually.

Bus Éireann endeavours to ensure that a reasonable level of transport service is provided for each eligible child. In general, transport for children with special educational needs is provided from home to school and from school to home during normal school opening and closing times.

Bus Éireann will try to facilitate requests for set down at addresses other than the child’s home address provided the alternate address is on the route of the existing service and the arrangements are the same throughout the school year.

However, in general, it is not possible to facilitate atypical school transport arrangements which involve additional mileage, inconvenience to other children on the service, or where Bus Éireann have concerns regarding a child's safety.