Written answers
Tuesday, 3 October 2023
Department of Education and Skills
School Transport
Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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339. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware that a private bus service taking students from the Newcastle and Rathcoole areas of County Dublin to schools in the Celbridge, County Kildare area (details supplied), has been ceased; and if her Department will consider instating a school transport route here to ensure students can get to school in the absence of an available and suitable public transport route. [42796/23]
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 2022/2023 school year, over 149,000 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country.
In addition, school transport scheme services were provided for over 5,400 children who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine.
The total cost of the scheme in 2022 was €338.9m.
Already over 133,000 tickets have issued for the 2023/2024 school year which is an increase of 12% when compared with the start of the 2022/2023 school year. This number of tickets has already exceeded the total number of tickets issued in the 2022/23 school year.
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.
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 will be accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation.
Children who are not eligible for school transport may apply for transport on a concessionary basis in accordance with the terms of the Post Primary School Transport Scheme and subject to the following conditions:
- an application is made by the deadline date
- there is an existing service in place
- there is spare capacity on the service;
- routes will not be extended or altered, additional vehicles will not be introduced, nor will larger vehicles or extra trips using existing vehicles be provided to cater for children travelling on a concessionary basis;
- no additional State cost will be incurred;
In cases where the Department is satisfied that your nearest and next nearest schools are full, eligibility for school transport will be determined based on the distance you reside from your next nearest school(s) having regard to ethos and language.
To establish that the nearest and next nearest schools are full parents must provide:-
- The detailed steps taken to enrol your child in the nearest and next nearest schools.
- Evidence that an application for enrolment was made within the deadline dates specified by the school(s) and
- A letter from the School Authorities confirming that the school was full at time of enrolment.
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