Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 September 2026
395. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education and Youth if a full review of the school transport scheme has been scheduled; when this will be carried out; the scope and criteria of this review; and if points (details supplied) will be included. [68448/26]
View answerThe School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education and Youth that 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 including over 24,000 pupils with Special Educational Needs in 2025 which equates to an increase of over 50%. Since 2018, investment in the scheme has more than doubled, from €200 million to €537 million.
Under the current terms of the School Transport Schemes, children are eligible for transport at primary level where they reside not less than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest national school, and at post primary level where they reside not less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest post primary school/education centre as determined by the department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
In cases where families have applied to attend their nearest school with regard to ethos and language and have been advised by the school authorities that these schools are full, the Department will consider if the pupil(s) is eligible to the next nearest school.
While the closest school(s) may be full to capacity at present, each family must supply the documents mentioned below, to School Transport Section of the Department of Education and Youth.
an application for enrolment was made within the deadline dates specified by the school(s), and
a letter from each of the school authorities confirming that the school was full.
This information should be submitted for consideration to School Transport Section of the Department through the Case Management System which can be accessed by following this link; https://cs.education.gov.ie
The School Transport 2030 report, a comprehensive review of the School Transport Scheme, was published in early 2024. The recommended changes to the schemes include expansion of the current eligibility criteria, addressing current operational challenges and moving towards better integration with public transport to ensure the best value for money to the Exchequer.
It was outlined at the time the Review was published that the proposed changes to the eligibility criteria would further increase demand for the scheme. Therefore, it was considered prudent to implement the changes on a phased basis.
As part of this phased rollout, 14 School Transport pilots commenced in the 2024/25 school year. A further 11 pilots were approved for the 2025/26 school year, all 25 pilots are continuing for the 2026/27 school year. For these pilots, the distance criteria for pupils are reduced to 2km for primary and post primary and the need for a pupil to be attending their nearest school is removed.
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 considered in select areas to test revised eligibility criteria, these pilots are limited in scope and capacity.
An evaluation of the pilots in the 2025/2026 school year is currently underway. The findings from the evaluation will inform the planning and implementation needed for a national rollout of a revised School Transport Scheme subject to increased financial investment and where there are available resources and capacity to meet the expected increased demand.
