Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

116. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the additional capacity in school transport in 2023/2024 in comparison to the current school year. [22507/23]

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 of Education. In the current school year, over 149,000 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. There has been an increase of 21% tickets issued to eligible students and 38% tickets issued on a concessionary basis in the current 2022/23 school year compared to the 2021/22 school year.

In addition, school transport scheme services are being provided in the current school year for over 5,200 children who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine.

The total cost of the scheme in 2022 was €338.9m.

The School Transport Scheme is an important service for families and children. The purpose of the 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.

A review of the School Transport Scheme is underway. The review is being conducted with a view to examining the current scheme, its broader effectiveness and sustainability, and to ensure that it serves students and their families adequately. It is planned that the review will be completed shortly with recommendations on the future operation of the Department’s School Transport Scheme. Once approved by Government, it is planned that the review will be published.

For the 2023/2024 school year, and pending completion of the review, it remains that 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 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.

The closing date for new applications for the 2023/2024 school year was Friday 28^thApril. The closing date for payment/entering medical details for tickets for the 2023/2024 school year in Friday 9^thJune. It is only after this time that Bus Éireann will know how many applications have been received and paid for. At that point, services will be planned for the upcoming school year.