Written answer
School Transport
The scheme has expanded by more than 50% since 2018, but wider shortages of drivers and vehicles mean eligibility reforms are being phased in. Twenty-five pilots are testing reduced distance rules and removal of the nearest-school requirement; their evaluation will guide any national rollout, subject to resources.
137. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reforms she has introduced to ensure that there is an appropriate space for every child on the school transport scheme. [74937/26]
Comment on this
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.
A working group has been established to facilitate improvements to the scheme for children with special educational needs 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 a total of 25 pilots have commenced operation. 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 is currently underway and the findings from this evaluation will inform the planning and implementation needed for a national rollout of a revised School Transport Scheme subject to the availability of resources.