259. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Education and Youth her views on a matter (details supplied). [66404/26]

The 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.

The School Transport 2030 report 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.

In terms of progress on implementation of the recommendations arising from the Review of the scheme, a number of measures have been progressed. In terms of making improvements to the scheme for children with special educational needs, a working group has been established and an initial priority for this group was to make changes to the transport application form. The first stage of this project has been completed with the current stage continuing to development of an online application form which is anticipated to go live in Q4 of 2026.

The rate of the Special Transport Grant (STG) has been increased with effect from the current school year to 41.80 cent for the first 6,437 kilometres travelled and 31.78 cent per kilometre for each kilometre travelled thereafter.

Work is advancing on a number of projects including e-Ticketing and digital mapping, by Bus Éireann. These technology improvements will improve efficiencies in the scheme subject to significant financial investment.

An information pack regarding the employment of School Bus Escorts was issued to schools at the start of the 2024/2025 school year.

Pay rates for Bus Escorts were reviewed and increased, the latest increase was applied in February 2026.

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. 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 the availability of resources.

It must be recognised that there has been significant additional investment in the scheme in recent years to accommodate the current service provided to over 180,000 children, further expansion will require further investment and reform. In terms of supporting rural families, where there are not enough eligible children to establish or retain a school transport service, families may be offered the Remote Area Grant (RAG). This grant helps eligible families with the cost of making their own transport arrangements when school transport cannot be provided.  The Remote Area Grant is also payable for eligible children who may have to travel 3.2kms or more to or from a designated pick up/set down point.