Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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129. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the exact process of the school transport lottery system. [38955/18]

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

In the 2017/18 school year over 117,000 children, including over 12,000 children with special educational needs, were 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.

Children are generally eligible for school transport if they satisfy the distance criteria and are attending their nearest school.

Children who are eligible for school transport and who have completed the application process on time have been accommodated on school transport services for the current school year where such services are in operation.

Children who are not eligible for school transport may apply for transport on a concessionary basis only and will be facilitated where spare seats are available after eligible children have been accommodated.

Where the number of applications for school transport on a concessionary basis exceeds the number of spare seats available, tickets are allocated using an agreed selection process; existing concessionary applicants and their siblings, who paid on time, are given first priority.

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