Norma Foley (Kerry, 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. In the 2023/2024 school year over 161,600 children were transported daily to schools throughout the country.

This figure comprises over 135,000 pupils travelling on mainstream services, 19,800 pupils with special educational needs, and 6,800 pupils who have arrived in Ireland from Ukraine

The total cost of the scheme in 2023 was €382.02m.

Planning for school transport services in any given year will commence in the December to January preceding the start of that school year. In this regard planning for the 2024/2025 school year is well underway with Department officials in regular engagement with Bus Éireann.

In the normal course of Departmental business, officials in the Department of Education engage with other Departments and agencies on a regular basis on a wide range of matters including school transport. This includes and is not limited to the Department of Transport, where my Department is represented on various working groups.

A review of the School Transport Scheme has been completed. This review was conducted with a view to examining the current scheme, its broader effectiveness, and sustainability and to ensure it services students and their families adequately.

The School Transport Scheme 2030 report has now been published. It marks the largest review of the School Transport Scheme since it was established in 1967. The Government is committed to working to achieve the report’s recommendation of expanding access to the scheme so that an additional 100,000 pupils can be carried by 2030.

Overall, the recommended changes to the future operation of the Scheme include:

• expansion of the current eligibility criteria
• addressing current operational challenges, charges and grants and over time
• moving towards better integration with public transport to ensure the best value for money to the Exchequer.

In relation to the implementation of the Review, my Department has had regular engagement with various Departments and agencies including the National Council for Special Education, the National Transport Authority, the Department of Public Expenditure NDP delivery and Reform and the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications.

A phased implementation of the review’s recommendations will begin in September 2024. This will include a shared effort between my Department and the Department of Transport to pilot and introduce greater integration of transport networks with school transport routes. It is intended, subject to resources, to commence implementing the revised eligibility criteria in the 2025/2026 school year.

Under the proposed revised eligibility criteria, the proposal is, over time, to reduce the distance criteria to 1km and 2km at primary and post-primary respectively (from the current 3.2km and 4.8km respectively). All children who meet this distance criteria from their school of attendance will be accommodated on transport where there is an existing route. The distance criteria will not apply in towns and cities that are served by public transport as in these towns, children will be encouraged to use public transport that is available to them. In recommending this reduced distance criteria, the Steering Group was mindful that distance should not be reduced to the extent so as to discourage walking/cycling but that it should encourage more families to use school transport. It is also recommended in the review that measures should be pursued to support active travel including liaising with the Safe Routes to School Programme.