Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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593. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the maximum distance a child should need to travel for a school place to be considered appropriate. [29859/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, 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 and Youth.

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 km from and are attending their nearest national school. At post primary level, they are eligible where they reside not less than 4.8 km 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 on behalf of my Department. 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.

In relation to mainstream school transport, where practicable and subject to consideration of costs and logistics, routes are planned to avoid an eligible child having to travel more than 2.4 km at primary level and 3.2 km at post primary level to or from a pick up/set down point or to have travel and waiting times in excess of 1.5 hours at primary level and 2.5 hours at post primary level per day. Routes are planned on the basis of the locations of children who are eligible only.

In relation to pupils travelling on the School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs, it is not always possible to secure a suitable placement in a local school and children are occasionally required to travel some distance to their school of attendance, due to the specialist nature of the placement involved. Bus Éireann regularly review services where children are travelling longer distances and where possible, adjustments may be made to the service to reduce the travel time.

If families have any particular queries they can contact School Transport Section, where officials in the Department will be happy to assist. Contact details for the section can be found at:

www.gov.ie/en/department-of-education/services/school-transport/#school-transport-customer-contact-form