Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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105. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of concessionary students, by county, who are still without transport this year, who would have previously availed of it in past years, in tabular form. [52065/23]

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.

Over 134,000 tickets have issued to mainstream pupils for the 2023/2024 school year which is an increase of 12% when compared with the start of the 2022/2023 school year. The number of tickets issued so far has already exceeded the total number of tickets issued in the 2022/23 school year. There has been an overall increase in both applications and tickets issued for the 2023/2024 school year in comparison to the 2022/2023 school year.

The information sought by the Deputy is not available in the manner requested, Bus Éireann continue to issue tickets to pupils where transport becomes available.

However, in the document attached, Bus Éireann has provided the number of tickets issued to mainstream and concessionary pupils to date for the 23/24 school year and at the same period for the 22/23 school year and also the number of concessionary pupils who were unsuccessful in obtaining a school transport ticket for the 22/23 school year. The information provided includes areas where there is no existing transport route in place, and where there are less than 10 eligible ticket holders to establish a service.

Where there is an established school transport route and capacity to do so, children who are not eligible for school transport, but who complete the application and payment 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.