Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 September 2025
223. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will review correspondence regarding school transport (details supplied); if she will issue tickets for the children concerned; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49373/25]
View answerThe School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education and Youth.
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 further advise that this service has now commenced and that a ticket was issued to the pupil referred to by the Deputy on 2nd September 2025 for the 2025/26 school year.
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.
School Transport Section of my department will be writing to all families affected over the coming weeks, to offer the grants mentioned above.
