Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 May 2026
108. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the measures being taken to ensure sufficient school transport will be available in the mid and west Cork regions for the 2026-2027 school year; the data that has been assessed from the 2025-2026 school year on route expansions required to meet demand for 2026-2027 in these areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40067/26]
View answerThe School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education and Youth.
The scheme has expanded significantly over the past six years. In that time, the numbers of children and young people using the service have grown from under 120,000 pupils in 2018 to over 181,000 pupils in 2025, which equates to an increase of close to 50%. In the 2025/26 school year over 23,000 pupils attending Cork schools availed of the scheme.
The scheme is demand-led based on the number of eligible children who apply and pay on time. Families are required to register their details on the Bus Éireann Family Portal to have their eligibility for transport assessed and to make applications under the scheme.
The closing date for applications and payments for the 2026/27 school year was 08 May 2026 and the portal is now temporarily closed.
Bus Éireann are currently assessing all on time applications and payments received and planning for routes and services for the 2026/27 school year. Routes may be altered or extended depending on the number and location of children who will be availing of school transport for the following school year.
Where a child is eligible for transport and the application and payment process has been completed on time, they will get a seat on a school bus service, where a service is available.
Where a child is not eligible for school transport, but the application and payment process has been completed on time, they will be considered for any spare seats available after eligible children have been accommodated. These seats are called concessionary seats.
There may be more demand than availability for concessionary seats. In such cases, Bus Éireann will use a selection process to allocate tickets for the spare seats.
Tickets will begin issuing in July and continue to issue throughout the summer. Where pupils are unsuccessful in receiving tickets, refunds will issue from Bus Éireann.
The portal will reopen on 01 July 2026. Applications or payments/medical card details entered after the portal reopens will be considered late and a service may not be available. Additionally, late applications cannot be considered for a Remote Area Grant for the 2026/27 school year.
