Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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115. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she has engaged with Bus Éireann regarding bus ticket shortages in counties Cavan, Monaghan and Louth; if she will detail the types of engagement she has had with Bus Éireann; and the dates in which this engagement took place. [45191/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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School Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2020/21 year over 114,100 children, including over 14,700 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €224.7m in 2020.

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.

All children who are eligible for school transport and who completed the application and payment process on time for the 2021/22 school year will be accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation. In addition, all post-primary pupils who are otherwise eligible for school transport but are attending their second nearest school and have applied and paid on time will be accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation. This arrangement is in place for current school year pending completion of the full review of the School Transport Scheme.

Children who are not eligible for school transport may apply for transport on a concessionary basis only and are offered seats where capacity exists after all eligible children have been catered for.

Late applicants and/or families who pay late are not guaranteed a seat and will only be allocated a seat if capacity is available once seats are allocated to those families who applied and paid on time for transport services for the 2021/2022 school year.

Bus Éireann has confirmed that to date 102,420 pupils, including 54,018 post primary eligible pupils and 14,143 post primary concessionary pupils have been issued tickets for the School Transport Scheme. This number is changing as tickets continue to be allocated to pupils.

Should post-primary services resume operating at 100% capacity and where additional vehicles that were provided for social distancing purposes are removed, any spare capacity available will be offered on those services to concessionary pupils or late applicants where such capacity exists.

Officials of the School Transport Section have engaged intensively with Bus Éireann in regard to the operation of school transport services for the current school year. If the Deputy has specific queries in regard to the areas referred to officials in School Transport Section would be happy to assist.