Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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102. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a person (details supplied) has to pay a large amount each year for bus fees; if more school buses will be introduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7306/20]

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

In the current school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, are transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres at a cost of over €219m in 2019.

The purpose of my Department's 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 if they meet the distance criteria and are attending their nearest school.

All children who are eligible for school transport and who complete the application and payment process on time are accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation.

Children who are not eligible for school transport, but who complete the application process on time, are considered for spare seats that may exist after eligible children have been facilitated; such seats are referred to as concessionary seats. Where the number of ineligible children exceeds the number of spare seats available, Bus Éireann will allocate tickets for the spare seats using an agreed selection process.

The annual charge for school transport services is €100 per annum for primary children and €350 for post primary children with a maximum family charge of €220 for primary children only or €650 overall.

Children who are eligible for school transport and who hold valid medical cards (GMS Scheme) are exempt from paying the annual charge. In addition, there is no charge for children who are eligible for school transport under the terms of my Department's School Transport Scheme for children with Special Educational Needs.

Bus Éireann has advised that the family in question are not eligible for school transport as they are not attending their nearest school. Bus Éireann has also advised that a ticket was issued to the family referred to by the Deputy on a concessionary basis for the 2019/20 school year.

School transport scheme services operating for the 2020/21 school year will be determined by the number of children who complete the application and payment process on time and are deemed eligible for school transport.