Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North-Central, Fianna Fail)
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468. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to provide an update in relation to the pilot school transport scheme; if she will provide details of the schools identified as pilot projects for the 2025-2026 school year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63241/25]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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As part of the recommendations of the School Transport Review, 14 School Transport pilots began in the 2024/2025 school year. I'm pleased to say that these pilots are continuing in the current school year.

It was outlined at the time of the review’s publication that as the proposed changes to the eligibility criteria will likely increase demand for the scheme, it would be prudent to implement the proposed changes on a phased basis to ensure its rollout is as smooth as possible.

In line with the review’s recommendations, the School Transport Section of my Department engaged with Bus Éireann to identify where more pilots could be successfully delivered for the current school year.

Eleven further pilots have been selected for the current school year. The Department has given approval to Bus Éireann to review where additional capacity may be available for concessionary pupils who paid on time and would become eligible if the revised school transport scheme criteria was rolled out fully.

As part of these pilots, the distance criteria for pupils is reduced to 2km for primary and post primary and the need for a pupil to be attending their nearest school is removed.

Some of these pilots are operational and the remainder are going through procurement.

In the coming months, e-Ticketing will be introduced on all dedicated school transport pilot routes, with families being advised on how pupils should use their the new school transport cards. E-ticketing will enhance students’ experiences on school transport and allow for greater visibility on seat usage. With better data, this will inform future route planning and maximise the efficiency and effectiveness of the system. These pilots will provide valuable insights on the impact increased demand will have on the scheme.

Provision of additional services as pilot projects will be subject to the availability of vehicles and drivers in each area. Implementation of the review recommendations will continue to be planned subject to resources being available to meet the increased demand.