Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

132. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the action her Department is taking to increase the number of school bus drivers in view of ongoing recruitment challenges of bus drivers under the school transport scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31252/25]

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

The school transport scheme is a demand led scheme based on the number of children who apply. The scheme is operated using a mix of Bus Éireann owned vehicles and directly recruited drivers, and private contractors who recruit their own drivers to operate on the scheme.

As part of the operation of the scheme, Bus Éireann manages the procurement tender process and contract management arrangements to include services provided by contractors under the School Transport Scheme. There are currently over 8,000 vehicles operating on the scheme.

The competitive procurement process is conducted in accordance with the negotiated procedure under national and EU procurement legislation.

At the beginning of the current school year, Bus Éireann reported particular issues with availability of drivers and contractors. This included a number of contractors handing back contracts unexpectedly, and the receipt of zero bids for contracts tendered out in certain areas. This is against a backdrop of significant shortages of drivers in the labour market overall and competing demands for drivers to deliver additional public transport initiative.

Bus Éireann has frequent engagement with existing contractors. A national and local media advertising campaign seeking additional contractor operators for the Scheme is currently in place supported by additional targeted social media campaigns.

As part of a national focus on driver requirements, the Department has facilitated a working group between the Department of Education and Youth, Department of Transport, Bus Éireann and Education and Training Boards Ireland (ETBI) to increase the availability of drivers within both the school transport scheme and other public transport areas nationally, through existing and potential training schemes.

As a result of work undertaken by the working group, a transport taskforce has now been established which is chaired by the Department of Transport. The aim of the taskforce is to work collaboratively to identify contributing factors to the recruitment issues and put forward recommendations and measures to address these issues.