Ryan O'Meara (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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77. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the plans to abolish the ‘nearest school’ rule for school transport; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6897/26]

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.

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

A phased implementation of the School Transport Review’s recommendations began at the start of the 2024/2025 school year where the Department began testing the feasibility of a number of approaches through a series of pilot programmes; these pilot programmes are held in conjunction with the National Transport Authority, the Department of Transport and Bus Éireann.

A total of fourteen pilot projects took place in the 2024/2025 school year and will continue for the current school year.

Following the closing date for payment for the 2025/2026 school year the Department, in collaboration with Bus Éireann, assessed where dedicated school transport/pilots may be successfully delivered, and a further eleven pilots were approved. The Department has asked 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 in full. Some of these pilots are operational and the remainder are going through procurement.

Due to ongoing challenges in the wider transport sector, including availability of drivers and vehicles, any expansion of services must be carefully planned and phased. While pilot projects are being considered in select areas to test revised eligibility criteria, these pilots are limited in scope and capacity.

All pilots – including those which commenced in the 2024/2025 school year – are being monitored and a further evaluation will take place at the end of the 2025/2026 school year. Findings from these evaluations will guide the planning and implementation needed for a national rollout of a revised School Transport Scheme.