Written answers

Wednesday, 11 July 2018

Department of Education and Skills

School Transport Availability

Photo of Martin HeydonMartin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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232. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a new school bus route will be considered for a group of children (details supplied) who were unable to obtain places in their local school and now cannot access school transport to their new school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31413/18]

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.

Currently over 116,000 children, including over 12,000 children with special educational needs, are being transported in over 4,500 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually at a total cost of almost €190 million in 2017.

The purpose of the School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school.

Under the terms of the Department's Post Primary School Transport Scheme, children are generally eligible for transport where they reside not less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest education centre.

The children referred to by the Deputy are not eligible for school transport and may apply for transport on a concessionary basis only which is subject to a number of conditions including the following:-

- Routes will not be extended or altered, additional vehicles will not be introduced, nor will larger vehicles or extra trips using existing vehicles be provided to cater for children travelling on a concessionary basis; no additional State cost will be incurred.

Bus Éireann is currently processing applications for school transport for the 2018/19 school year and families wishing to avail of transport on a concessionary basis should liaise with their local Bus Éireann office regarding the availability of seats.

The terms of the School Transport Scheme are applied equitably on a national basis.

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