463. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education the average number of buses in the Bus Éireann school transport fleet for Kildare in 2022, 2023 and to-date in 2024, in tabular form. [44853/24]

The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education.  In the 2023/24 school year over 163,800 children, including over 136,000 pupils travelling on primary and post primary services, 20,200 pupils with special educational needs, and 7,400 pupils who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country.

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

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.

The scheme is operated using a mix of Bus Éireann owned vehicles and directly recruited drivers, and private contractors who recruit their own drivers to operate on the scheme.

As part of the operation of the scheme, Bus Éireann manages the procurement tender process and contract management arrangements to include services provided by contractors under the School Transport Scheme.

Bus Éireann has provided the information requested by the Deputy on the provision of school bus transport services in County Kildare in the table below.

*Please note the 2022 and 2023 figures are accurate as of period 4, 2022 and 2023 KPI data and the 2024 figures are accurate as of period 10, 2024 KPI data.