Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

232. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if it is possible for the times of a school bus service (details supplied) in County Mayo to be reviewed and amended in view of the difficulties which it is causing for the children using the service. [48804/21]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the 2020/2021 school year over 114,100 children, including over 14,700 children with special educational needs, were 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.

Bus Éireann is responsible for the planning and timetabling of school transport routes and endeavours, within available resources, to ensure that each eligible child has a reasonable level of school transport service in the context of the Scheme nationally.

Where practicable, and subject to considerations of cost and logistics, routes are planned to avoid an eligible child having to travel more than 2.4 kms to or from a pick up/set down point or to have travel and waiting times in excess of 2.5 hours per day. Routes are planned on the basis of the locations of children who are eligible for school transport only.

Bus Eireann have advised that the pupils, to whom the Deputy refers, are eligible for school transport. These pupils are picked up at 7.15 and dropped back to the pick-up point at 17.15 two days per week and at 16.40 three days per week.

School Transport Section of my Department will liaise further with Bus Éireann in relation to the travel times for the pupils to which the Deputy refers.