21 April 2024
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
File photo of TD
Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Transport James O’Connor has urged families to apply for the School Transport Scheme before the deadline of April 26.
For the 2024/2025 school year primary school children must live 3.2 kilometres or more from their school to be eligible for transport, while for secondary pupils that distance must be at least 4.8 kilometres. Applications for the scheme, which is funded by the Department of Education, can be made through the Bus Eireann website.
Deputy O’Connor said: “I expect demand for school transport places to increase across the country so I would encourage all families hoping to gain a school bus place for their child to apply through the School Transport Scheme soon as possible. In Cork alone last year the total number of transport tickets issued for the 2023/2024 year was up 6% on the previous school year.
“This year to be eligible children at primary level must reside not less than 3.2 kilometres from their school, while those at post-primary level must live not less than 4.8 kilometres from their school.”
He added: “A review of the School Transport Scheme has recently been completed and the School Transport Scheme 2030 report has been published. I look forward to seeing the recommendations contained in that review implemented. A phased implementation is due to get underway from September.
“Fianna Fáil in Government is committed to working to expand access to the scheme so that an additional 100,000 pupils can be carried by 2030.”
The Cork East TD made the remarks after he received confirmation from Minister for Education Norma Foley that 27,000 applications for school transport in the 2024/2025 academic year for Co Cork had been logged in the system by the end of last month. This figure includes existing applications from the 2023/24 school year and comprises “close to 24,000 existing and new applications for the mainstream transport and over 3,000 existing and new applications for the special educational needs transport scheme”.
The minister also told Deputy O’Connor that a total of 18,000 tickets had been issued in Co Cork for the 2023/2024 school year, a 6% increase on tickets issued for the 2022/2023 school year.
In the current school year, over 161,600 children are being transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. This figure includes over 135,000 children on mainstream services, 19,800 on children with special educational needs, and 6,800 children who have arrived in Ireland from Ukraine.
The total cost of the scheme in 2023 was over €382 million.