Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein)
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975. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills whether school bus drivers are provided with passenger lists to ensure that all students on a school bus route are picked up as part of the school transport scheme; if lists are not provided to give the rationale for not providing the lists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46627/25]

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.

Bus Éireann has advised that each school bus contractor is provided with details of the operating board for their respective route. Each pupil is provided with details printed on their ticket of the route number and pick up point they are allocated to. In line with contractual obligations, the school bus driver is required to check pupils tickets when boarding to ensure they are allocated to the correct route.

All Bus Éireann supervisors are provided with details of route listings and these are used when checking school transport routes.

If a contractor or driver has any queries in relation to their respective route, they should contact the Local Bus Éireann supervisor or their local office who will provide any assistance as required.

Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein)
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976. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills whether her Department is investigating the feasibility of providing digital school transport passes in view of the logistical issues and costs associated with requiring students to have physical bus passes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46628/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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The School Transport 2030 report was published in early 2024 following a comprehensive analysis and review of the scheme as it currently operates. The recommended changes to the future operation of the schemes include expansion of the current eligibility criteria, addressing current operational challenges and moving towards better integration with public transport to ensure the best value for money to the Exchequer. It is proposed to expand access to the scheme so that an additional 100,000 pupils can be carried by 2030.

The scale of the scheme is significant, and any changes will take time to plan and implement.

It was outlined at the time of the review’s publication that it would be prudent to implement the scheme changes on a phased basis.

A phased implementation of the review’s recommendations began at the start of the 2024/2025 school year in conjunction with the Department of Transport and Bus Éireann. A total of 14 pilot projects took place in the 2024/2025 school year, one of which piloted the use of LEAP technology.

It is intended to continue current pilots for the upcoming school year. They will be monitored during the year and a further evaluation will take place at the end of the 2025/2026 school year. The findings from these evaluations will guide the planning and implementation needed for a national rollout of a revised School Transport Scheme.

Work is now underway to identify where more pilot programmes might be conducted subject to resources. A number of approaches are being examined including the use of a Geographic Information System (GIS) to identify how many additional children would become eligible and where they are located. A digital mapping project of all existing school bus routes is being developed and there is ongoing collaboration with the Department of Transport, Bus Éireann and the National Transport Authority in regard to planned expansion of public transport routes to explore where integration may be possible. Work is advancing on a number of technology projects including eTicketing and digital mapping.

Implementation of the recommendations of the review will continue to be planned subject to resources being available to meet the increased demand.