Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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668. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when a student (details supplied) will be allocated a school bus ticket. [63292/22]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education.  In the current school year over 147,900 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country.

In addition, school transport scheme services are being provided in the current school year for over 3,800 children who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine. 

The total cost of the scheme in 2022 was €332.2m. 

Children are eligible for transport at primary level where they reside not less than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest national school, and at post primary level where they reside not less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest post primary school/education centre as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.

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

Children who are not eligible for school transport, but who completed the application process on time, will be considered for spare seats that may exist after eligible children have been facilitated; such seats are referred to as concessionary seats.

Because of the nature of concessionary transport for non-eligible children and the priority of providing places for eligible children, there may be an excess of demand over supply for concessionary places, in these cases Bus Éireann will allocate tickets for spare seats using a random selection process.

Bus Éireann has confirmed that applications for two of the siblings referred to by the Deputy were carried forward from previous years and were received on time. Tickets issued to both of these pupils for the 2022/23 school year.  A further application for school transport was received for the third sibling on 24/11/22.  Bus Éireann have further advised that although this child is eligible for school transport under the terms of the scheme, they did not complete the ticket registration process by the closing date of 29 July 2022.  All existing services in this area are currently operating at capacity.