School Transport Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-20 ============================================================ Gareth Scahill (FG), Nominated by the Taoiseach I welcome the opportunity for the Minister of State to make a statement on the extension of the upper age limit for drivers of small public service vehicles contracted under the school transport scheme. Like so many Members of this House, I welcome the recent decision to extend the upper age limit for certain school transport drivers from 70 to 72 years of age. It is a practical recognition of the valuable contribution made by many experienced and medically fit drivers across the country. At a time when driver shortages have placed enormous pressure on school transport services, particularly in rural Ireland, this move is certainly positive. While the measure is welcome, it does not reflect the realities of special educational needs school transport. The extension applies only to vehicles under 3,500 kg and up to eight-seaters, which effectively are the people carriers, SUVs and big cars. Crucially, it excludes the 16-seat minibuses operated under the D1 licence category, the very vehicle most commonly used to transport children with additional needs. These minibuses are not a luxury. They are an essential part of the special educational needs transport system. They are specifically used because they allow adequate space between children, many of whom have complex additional needs and in some cases behavioural difficulties, who require a calm, safe and controlled environment. I was contacted on this by Councillor John Reilly in Louth who currently drives a minibus transporting six autistic children to early intervention classes daily. He has also spoken from personal experience on this as the father of a 26-year-old son with severe autism who has depended on school transport services for many years. Councillor Reilly's testimony highlights the reality faced by families and he understands both sides of this issue as a parent and as a driver. He sees at first hand how vital these services are, how carefully they operate, and how dependent the children are on continuity, routine and familiar drivers. Yet, under the current rules, an experienced and medically fit driver may continue to transport children in a smaller vehicle but cannot continue to drive the D1 minibus that is essential to SEN transport. This is the problem with this policy. There is already a shortage of school transport drivers, especially part-time drivers. We know that SEN transport demand is increasing year on year at the moment. Excluding D1 licence holders from this extension risks worsening recruitment and retention difficulties and could lead to further disruption for vulnerable children and their families. For many children with autism or complex needs, consistency matters enormously. A familiar driver, a predictable journey and a calm environment are not minor issues. They are central to the child's well-being and ability to access education. There is a balanced and sensible approach available to us all. The Minister should consider extending the operating to medically fit D1 licenceholders operating school transport minibuses for children with additional needs, subject of course to appropriate safeguarding, medical certification and regular review. This would help to retain experienced drivers, support families and provide much needed stability within the SEN transport system. Crucially, it would recognise the practical realities on the ground rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach. I ask the Minister to engage urgently with operators, families and representatives in the special education needs sector to examine how this gap can be addressed. Our priority must always be to ensure that children with additional needs can access education safely, reliably and with dignity. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-20/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:58+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-05-20