Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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454. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the breakdown of the number of applications for school transport in counties Westmeath and Longford for the 2025-2026 academic year; the number of pupils who were issued a bus ticket under the scheme; and the number of pupils who were refused a place. [47728/25]

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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455. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the breakdown of the number of applications for school transport in the 2025-2026 academic year; the number of pupils who were issued a bus ticket under the scheme; and the number of pupils who were refused a place, per county, in tabular form. [47729/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 454 and 455 together.

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 current terms of the School Transport Schemes, children are eligible for transport at primary level where they reside not less than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest national school, and at post-primary level where they reside not less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest post-primary school/education centre as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.

Eligible children who complete the application process and pay or enter their medical card details on time will get a seat on a school bus service, if a service is available.

All Mainstream eligible pupils who applied and paid on time and where a service exists have been facilitated with transport. In line with the guidelines of the scheme, places have been allocated to concessionary pupils where spare capacity existed.

148,441 tickets have issued to date for pupils availing of mainstream transport in the 2025/26 school year, which is a 5.4% increase on the same period last year as per the table below. At the end of the school year 24/25, a total of 144,229 tickets were issued nationwide.

It's important to note that the following table shows the current number of mainstream tickets issued per county only.

The processing of “on time” applications is prioritised and late applications are only processed when all on time applications have been dealt with. Bus Éireann is continuing to work through the remaining applications and families will be contacted as further information is available.

At the end of the 24/25 school year 2,525 tickets were issued in Longford for mainstream transport and 3,603 in Westmeath for mainstream transport. Details of current ticket numbers are shown in the table above.

Other information requested is not available at this time.