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 161,600 children are being transported on a daily basis to schools throughout the country.

This figure comprises over 135,000 pupils travelling on mainstream services, 19,800 pupils with special educational needs, and 6,800 pupils who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine.

The total cost of the scheme in 2023 was €382.02m.

A review of the School Transport Scheme has been completed. This review was conducted with a view to examining the current scheme, its broader effectiveness, and sustainability and to ensure it services students and their families adequately.

The School Transport Scheme 2030 report has now been published. It marks the largest review of the School Transport Scheme since it was established in 1967. The Government is committed to working to achieve the report’s recommendation of expanding access to the scheme so that an additional 100,000 pupils can be carried by 2030.

Throughout the review, the value of the School Transport Scheme to both families and in supporting wider Government policies has been very apparent. School transport not only plays an important part in supporting children's access to education, but it also aligns to wider Government objectives.

Overall, the recommended changes to the future operation of the Scheme concern: expansion of the current eligibility criteria, addressing current operational challenges, charges and grants, and, over time, moving towards better integration with public transport to ensure the best value for money to the Exchequer.

A phased implementation of the review’s recommendations will begin in September 2024. This will include a shared effort between my Department and the Department of Transport to pilot and introduce greater integration of transport networks with school transport routes.

I envisage that over time this will lead to expanding the provision of transport and reducing the reliance on individual car trips for school journeys.

The planned pilot projects in the 2024/25 school year will provide a valuable insight into the impact on the scheme of increased demand, the possibilities to integrate public transport services with school transport services, and the possibilities to facilitate more sustainable modes of transport.

These impacts will be fully assessed and costed as required. The projects will evaluate and assess the scale of planning and implementation required for a national roll out of a revised School Transport Scheme. As part of this, they will include the integration of public transport and school transport services.

The School Transport Scheme and Public Transport integration project is a joint effort between the Department of Education and the Department of Transport, supported by the National Transport Authority and Bus éireann.

Details of the areas to be included in the pilot scheme will be available shortly.

Families residing in the pilot scheme areas will be communicated with separately regarding the pilot schemes, how they should apply and to inform them what the changes will mean for the 2024/2025 school year.