Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
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98. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to ensure a community funded bus service (details supplied) will not cease operation in September 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8913/19]

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

There are currently over 117,500 children, including over 13,000 children with special educational needs, transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually.

The purpose of my Department's Post Primary 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. In general, children are eligible for school transport where they reside not less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest post-primary school.

Bus Éireann has advised that the bus service referred to by the Deputy is not contracted to operate a school transport service under the terms of the School Transport Scheme.

All children who are eligible for school transport and who complete the application process on time will be accommodated under the terms of my Department's School Transport Scheme in the 2019/2020 school year.