Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

418. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to provide funding to assist schools with the rising cost of bus transport, considering the benefit of schools availing of nearby swimming pools, sports facilities, libraries and cultural events, particularly those schools in rural areas. [25214/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education and Youth. In the current school year, over 172,500 children, are transported daily in approximately 7,900 vehicles across 10,300 routes daily to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. These daily trips cover over 100 million kilometres. This figure includes over 143,800 pupils travelling on primary and post primary services, 21,700 pupils with special educational needs, and 6,800 pupils who have arrived in Ireland from Ukraine.

The scheme is made up of three separate schemes, the school transport scheme for primary, post primary and for children with special educational needs. Transport is also provided for children who have arrived in Ireland from Ukraine and those residing in IPAS/EROC centres.

The total expenditure on the scheme in 2024 was €512m.

The School Transport Schemes are intended to cater for children providing school transport from home/pick up point to school and from school to home/drop off point during normal school opening and closing times. The request detailed by the Deputy is not a feature of the schemes and is therefore outside of the Department of Education and Youth remit.