Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

479. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the process in place to ensure bus services will be in place prior to the commencement of the school term for students, particularly for children with special needs; the reason in so many instances school bus places were not available on time; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48084/25]

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

The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education and Youth. In the 2024/25 school year, over 173,000 children were transported daily in approximately 8,200 vehicles across 10,600 routes daily to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. These daily trips cover over 100 million kilometres.

This figure includes just under 144,000 pupils travelling on primary and post primary services, just under 22,000 pupils with special educational needs, and just under 7,000 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.

Under the terms of the current 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.

The National Council for Special Education acts in an advisory role to the Department of Education on the suitability of placements for children with special educational needs. Under the terms of the School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs, the Department will consider the report of the Special Education Needs Organiser (SENO). School transport is provided to children with special educational needs who are attending the nearest school to their place of residence that is or can be resourced to meet their educational needs, as identified by the SENO.

Bus Éireann has advised that in recent weeks they issued tickets for school transport on bus services that had been secured for the 2025/26 school year. Unfortunately, a number of difficulties have arisen in having services in place for the start of the new school year in some localities with a small number of contracted services.

Bus Éireann is continuing to work intensively to ensure that transport arrangements are put in place as soon as possible, and every effort is being made to ensure transport can be sourced and put in place as soon as possible.

For families who have been issued with a tickets on board one of these services affected, the Department is sanctioning an interim arrangement to assist with the cost of alternative arrangements until your service is in place.

This payment will be paid as an exceptional measure and will be calculated from the date the service was due to commence up to the date that a service in provided .

The interim grant for children on main stream services, the Exceptional Interim Grant (EIG), is linked to ticket holders and is paid for the number of days that children attended school from 25th August 2025 until a school transport service commences.

Children who are eligible for school transport for children with special educational needs may avail of the Interim Special Transport Grant. This is a once off payment, paid retrospectively to families once the School Transport service is in place and is to assist with the cost of private transport arrangements the family had put in place until services are finalised.

School Transport Section of my department will be writing to all families affected to offer the grants mentioned above in the coming weeks.