Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation
Dail Éireann — 2026-09-23
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Jack Chambers (FF), Dublin West

This has been a big priority for Government over the past number of years. That is reflected in how we have budgeted for this and how we expanded the scheme. There has been a 50% increase in pupils utilising school transport this year compared with 2019. That has been reflected in how we are supporting it. I accept that there are particular issues in feedback from local communities where a ticket is given and not utilised and where another pupil who requires a ticket is not given one. There should probably be better monitoring by Bus Éireann and the Department of education in order to ensure that we ensure that we maximise capacity. That is a frustration for parents and children. I will reflect the feedback from the Deputy to the Department of education. This is something that should happen. It should be a use-it-or-lose-it policy rather than a ticket being bought or a concessionary ticket being given and then not being utilised throughout the year to the detriment of someone who would use it. We can better manage current capacity within that.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-09-23/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-28T05:50:49+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-23