Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 22 January 2025
616. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education for an update on the number of school bus routes still not in operation, including details of the areas and schools serviced by these routes and how many children are impacted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1385/25]
View answerThe School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 172,500 children, are transported daily in approximately 7,900 vehicles across 10,300 routes daily to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. These daily trips cover over 100 million kilometres. This figure includes over 143,800 pupils travelling on primary and post primary services, 21,700 pupils with special educational needs, and 6,800 pupils who have arrived to 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.
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.
Bus Éireann has reported that unfortunately, for a small number of families who were issued a ticket for the 2024/2025 school year, difficulties have arisen in some localities where services could not commence as expected.
These difficulties have arisen in some cases due to lack of driver or contractor availability, or where zero bids were received for a service, despite repeated efforts to procure one.
While the majority of these routes are now in place, there are still two mainstream routes without a service. These routes are located in Galway and Wicklow and affect 33 mainstream pupils in total.
In relation to services for children with special educational needs, there are currently 7 routes that were in place in the 2023/24 school year affected. These routes are located in Cork, Dublin, Galway and Roscommon and affect 31 pupils travelling on the school transport scheme for children with special educational needs.
Bus Éireann has contacted the affected families directly and will maintain communications with them. These routes are going through various stages of the procurement process.
An “Exceptional No Service Interim Grant” payable by the Department, which will be based on the number of days children attend school will be made available to the families. Bus Éireann have contacted these families directly. Families do not need to make an application for the exceptional payment. Those who have been issued a ticket and do not have a service in place will be contacted by School Transport Section in the Department.
Work is continuing in order to resolve this matter and Bus Éireann are committed to providing transport to these students as quickly as is possible.
