Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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332. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a school transport pick-up point could be changed to address safety concerns (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41645/24]

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 2023/24 school year over 163,800 children, including over 136,000 pupils travelling on primary and post primary services, 20,200 pupils with special educational needs, and 7,400 pupils who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country.

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

Over 140,000 mainstream tickets have issued for the 2024/2025 school year, which is already 3% more than the total tickets issued for the full 2023/2024 school year.

The purpose of my 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.

Under the terms of the School Transport Schemes, children are eligible for transport at primary level where they reside not less than 3.2 kms from and are attending their nearest national school. At post primary level, they are eligible where they reside not less than 4.8 kms from and are attending their nearest post primary school/education centre. Distance is determined by the Department/Bus Éireann and rules have regard to ethos and language.

Bus Éireann is responsible for the planning and timetabling of school transport routes. Bus Éireann endeavours, within available resources, to ensure that each eligible child has a reasonable level of school transport service in the context of the Scheme nationally.

Where practicable, and subject to considerations of cost and logistics, routes are planned to avoid an eligible child having to travel more than 3.2 kms to or from a pick-up/set down point. Routes are planned on the basis of the locations of children who are eligible for school transport only.

Parents/guardians are responsible for ensuring that children are brought safely to and collected safely from Bus Éireann designated pick up and set down points. Home pick-up is not a feature of the School Transport Scheme.

As the Deputy is aware, Bus Eireann has advised that the pupil, to whom the Deputy refers, is not eligible for school transport as they are not attending their nearest school. They have also confirmed that the family reside 2.3km from home to the pick-up point. This pick-up point has been deemed safe by the service supervisor and contractor. The pick-up point is not at the crossroads as mentioned this service travels further up the road to carry out the pick-up and turn around.

Changes to the School Transport Schemes, including the 'Closed School Rule (CSR)', were announced in Budget 2011 and derived from recommendations in the Value for Money Review of the Scheme.

From the commencement of the 2011/12 school year the distance eligibility criterion of 3.2 kilometres was applied nationally to all children travelling under the primary school transport scheme, including those travelling under the CSR.

The second element of the change which took effect from the commencement of the 2012/13 school year applied only in the case of children commencing their primary education from that date.

This meant that from that year, school transport eligibility for all pupils newly entering national schools was determined by reference to the nearest national school, having regard to ethos and language. Existing eligible primary pupils availing of transport under the CSR will retain transport eligibility only for the duration of their schooling from the 2012/2013 school year, provided the requisite distance was met.