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Committee of Public Accounts

C&AG Special Report 98 – Provision of School Transport

Thursday 13th December 2018

Briefing Paper

1. The School Transport Scheme

The School Transport scheme is an administrative scheme, established in 1968. It was created to

facilitate access to primary and post-primary education for those children, who because of where

they reside, might otherwise have difficulty in attending school regularly.

School transport is a significant national operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the

Department of Education and Skills. During the 2017/18 school year over 117,000 children, including

over 12,700 children with special educational needs were transported daily to primary and post-

primary schools throughout the country. This involved over 4,500 vehicles covering over 100 million

kilometres. Growth in the numbers of children with special educational needs seeking school

transport is a notable development in recent years.

In 2017, the total cost of providing school transport amounted to almost €190 million. This includes

direct transport services, and grant payments. It also includes funding schools for the employment

of escorts to accompany children with special educational needs whose care and safety needs

require this support.

See tables overleaf.

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2. Financial Information

Table 1 School Transport Costs 2011 to 2017

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Bus Éireann Direct Costs

Driver Costs €10,764 €10,724 €9,974 €9,698 €9,493 €9,135 €8,603

Running Costs €18,429 €19,065 €18,533 €17,872 €17,266 €17,240 €15,535

Road Tax €48 €49 €47 €40 €34 €43 €38

Insurance & Claims €1,358 €1,248 €857 €662 €912 €818 €789

Payments to Contractors - Mainstream €63,476 €65,496 €64,272 €64,186 €65,564 €65,099 €68,664

Payments to Contractors - SEN €42,000 €40,600 €44,900 €47,700 €50,200 €57,974 €63,668

Inspectors' Wages €2,650 €2,637 €2,580 €2,536 €2,544 €2,455 €2,069

Inspectors' Cars €238 €212 €207 €203 €193 €222 €180

Salaries €3,086 €3,064 €2,826 €2,900 €3,238 €3,103 €2,885

Pupil Award Scheme €36 €38 €36 €34 €35 €29 €25

Bus Éireann Indirect Costs

Transport Man. Charge €16,700 €15,000 €15,000 €15,000 €11,286 €11,116 €11,000

Depreciation €1,801 €1,652 €1,353 €972 €668 €724 €612

Interest €299 €254 €195 €137 €60 €22 €18

Scheduled Services €2,405 €2,008 €1,817 €1,584 €1,462 €1,370 €1,034

Income

Pupil Contributions €11,486 €12,570 €12,772 €13,057 €13,707 €14,587 €15,216

Bus Éireann Total - Gross. €163,290 €162,047 €162,597 €163,524 €162,955 €169,350 €175,120

Bus Éireann Total - Net. €151,804 €149,477 €149,825 €150,467 €149,248 €154,763 €159,904

Department Grants

Remote Area Grant €841 €1,001 €1,059 €949 €922 €906 €963

Special Transport Grant €3,093 €2,578 €2,256 €2,202 €2,331 €2,560 €2,755

Escort Grants to Schools €15,160 €14,424 €16,853 €18,618 €20,436 €22,947 €25,372

Total Costs €170,898 €167,480 €169,993 €172,236 €172,937 €181,176 €188,994

SCHOOL TRANSPORT COSTS 2011 - 2017 - €'000.

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Table 2. School Transport Costs 2011 to 2017 including pupil numbers.

Breakdown of Total School Transport Costs 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017€'000 €'000 €'000 €'000 €'000 €'000 €'000

Bus Éireann Costs 57,814 55,951 53,425 51,638 47,191 46,277 42,788

Payments to Contractors made by BE 105,476 106,096 109,172 111,886 115,764 123,073 132,332

Less: Pupil Contribution 11,486 12,570 12,772 13,057 13,707 14,587 15,216

Total Payable to BE 151,804 149,477 149,825 150,467 149,248 154,763 159,904

Department Grant payments 19,094 18,003 20,168 21,769 23,689 26,413 29,090

Total School transport Costs 170,898 167,480 169,993 172,236 172,937 181,176 188,994

% of Costs against Total School Transport

budget 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

€'000 €'000 €'000 €'000 €'000 €'000 €'000

Bus Éireann Costs as % of overall costs 33.83% 33.41% 31.43% 29.98% 27.29% 25.54% 22.64%

Payments to Contractors made by BE 61.72% 63.35% 64.22% 64.96% 66.94% 67.93% 70.02%

Less: Pupil Contribution 6.72% 7.51% 7.51% 7.58% 7.93% 8.05% 8.05%

Total payabe to BE 88.83% 89.25% 88.14% 87.36% 86.30% 85.42% 84.61%

Department Grant payments 11.17% 10.75% 11.86% 12.64% 13.70% 14.58% 15.39%

Total 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

Total Break down of Contractor payment as

a % of Bus Eireann's Costs 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017Total Payment to Mainstream contractors as a % of

overall Net cost payable to Bus Éireann 41.81% 43.82% 42.90% 42.66% 43.93% 42.06% 42.94%

Total Payment to SEN contractors as a % of overall

Net cost payable to Bus Éireann 27.67% 27.16% 29.97% 31.70% 33.64% 37.46% 39.82%

Total Payment to contractor as a % of the

overall cost to Bus Eireann 69.48% 70.98% 72.87% 74.36% 77.56% 79.52% 82.76%

Pupil Numbers 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Primary Mainstream 41186 40490 40711 39893 39952 39630 38729

Post Primary Mainstream 63546 63656 64113 62893 64118 64795 65545

Primary SEN 8283 8317 9239 9791 8887 10504 11300

Post Primary SEN n/a n/a n/a n/a 935 1146 1200

Total Mainstream 104732 104146 104824 102786 104070 104425 104274

Total Mainstream as % of Total Pupils 92.67% 92.60% 91.90% 91.30% 91.38% 89.96% 89.30%

Total SEN 8283 8317 9239 9791 9822 11650 12500

Total SEN as % of total pupils 7.33% 7.40% 8.10% 8.70% 8.62% 10.04% 10.70%

TOTAL 113015 112463 114063 112577 113892 116075 116774

SCHOOL TRANSPORT COSTS 2011 - 2017

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3. C&AG Special Report 98

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) carried out an examination of the provision of school

transport and completed its report in August 2017. The examination focused on whether the

Department could demonstrate that it was achieving value for money through its arrangements with

Bus Éireann to deliver the service and the oversight exercised by the Department on how the school

transport service is delivered.

The Report centred on a three areas:

1. Analysis of usage, operations and cost

2. Department Oversight

3. Bus Éireann procurement

The report made five recommendations. The recommendations of the report and the Accounting

Officer Response are set out below. As time has elapsed since the report’s publication, in each case,

information is provided on progress in respect of the recommendations since publication.

C&AG Report – Recommendation 2.1 The Department should develop a forecast of likely medium term demand for the school transport service which would assist it in policy development in this area. Accounting Officer Response (included in the C&AG report) Agreed. While there are forecasting mechanisms in place at the moment, there is scope to strengthen these in enhancing our medium term forecasting for the scheme to assist in calibrating our policy in this area. School transport section will continue to work with other relevant areas of the Department who have developed sophisticated models for planning future education provision. For mainstream primary and post primary provision, overall enrolment projections provide a solid basis for identifying projected need. Accurately forecasting the requirement for special needs transport provision is more difficult for a number of reasons, including the nature of the demand, the distinct type of service required and distances in individual cases. The Department agrees that, notwithstanding the unpredictable nature of the demand, improved medium term forecasting mechanisms are required. The Department’s school transport section will continue to work with other relevant areas within the Department and with the National Council for Special Education to explore options for strengthening its forecasting techniques in this area. As a consequence of the Government policy decisions in 2010, the eligible/concessionary balance has changed in the intervening period. For this reason in 2016 the Department carried out a review of concessionary transport and made the recommendation that the fleet capacity should be reduced on a phased basis to accommodate eligible numbers which would yield cost savings. This would not mean that concessionary transport would cease. Given the nature of the scheme and the fixed capacity of buses, concessionary places, while impacted, would continue. This recommendation has not been actioned and the process to downsize vehicles on school transport routes has not been commenced.

Progress since Publication of the Report

The Department, in consultation with the National Council for Special Education, is continuing to examine the possibility of predicting take up to the scheme on a more regional basis. An increase in numbers on the scheme will have different impacts in different locations as the amount of spare capacity on vehicles locally determines whether or not new services would be required.

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The number of children availing of the main school transport scheme has remained relatively static,

being influenced more by fluctuations in demand than by demographics.

Increased demand for school transport services in recent years is attributed in the main to increased

demand for transport for children with special educational needs. Statistics provided by the

National Council for Special Education show that there has been a significant increase in the number

of children attending special schools or special classes from 2013 to 2017, from 11,652 children to

15,255 children a total increase in the period of over 3,600 children. Statistics provided by the NCSE

on the breakdown of children by school year show that there is a significant increase in the number

of children in Junior classes to those in Senior classes (Year 1 to Year 7 at primary level) which means

that more children with a requirement for SEN transport are entering the school system than those

who are leaving, resulting in increased demand for SEN transport services. There are 506 children in

Year 7 compared to 2,337 children in Year 1. Based on the advice of the NCSE, given the

demographic situation it is likely that there will be further increases in the numbers of SEN children

with an expected increase of circa 1,600 children in the 2018/19 school year and a further increase

of circa 1,600 children in the 2019/20 school year.

The Department continues to work with the National Council for Special Education to try to predict

take-up on a more regional basis. In this context, we are represented on two working groups, both

of which have representatives from the NCSE also, one on Review of Best Practice for SEN Transport

and one on Planning for Special Schools and Special Classes. The aim is to provide efficient and

effective services for children with special needs, including efficient and effective transport

arrangements.

As regards future planning for the main scheme we take account of the statistics on projected

enrolment trends at primary and post-primary as set out in “Projections of Full-Time Enrolment,

Primary and Second Level, 2018 – 2036” published in July 2018.

C&AG Report – Recommendation 2.2

The Department should engage an independent expert to review the route network to provide assurance that the network is effective and cost efficient. This review should happen periodically at intervals not longer than five years. Accounting Officer Response (included in the C&AG report) Agreed. The Department accepts the recommendation to engage an independent expert to review the route network on a periodic basis. Given the size of the route network and the various elements involved careful consideration will need to be given to the methodology for this review. While Bus Éireann has considerable expertise in route network planning and has yielded significant savings for the scheme through network management and review, we accept the merits of having a means of independent review to provide assurance of the effectiveness and efficiency being achieved. It is worth noting that a larger bus that has sufficient time to operate a second trip with a much reduced number of pupils can usually provide the second trip at a lower cost than employing a separate smaller vehicle. It may appear that the second trip represents a poor use of available seats but it can still be the most economic and efficient approach to take overall. Progress since Publication of the Report Following a competitive tendering process, a consultant has been appointed to carry out an independent route audit. The request for tenders issued in September 2017 with a closing date for

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applications in October 2017. The consultant was appointed in September 2018. The RFT outlined that the Department was seeking to engage an independent expert to review elements of the primary and post-primary school transport route network and to report on the effectiveness and cost efficiency of the network. The review would be carried out in a staged process whereby Counties Galway, Mayo and Roscommon would be used as a pilot study for the Route Operational Review and to propose recommendations on the methodology for a National Operational Review of School Transport Routes. The special needs transport network did not form part of the tender. The consultant is currently in the process of undertaking a scoping study with a view to collating all relevant data for assessment and review. This involves collating data such as route cost data, bus occupancy data and Remote Area Grant recipient data as well as assessing Bus Éireann’s route planning methodology. This scoping study, which is phase 1 of the project, is underway and will be finalised prior to undertaking phase 2, a pilot study on the three counties set out in the tender. The final phase of the route audit will concentrate on recommendations for a national review of the route network.

C&AG Report - Recommendation 3.1

The 1975 arrangement should be replaced by an SLA.

The SLA should be comprehensive and specify what outputs are to be delivered by Bus

Éireann and the mechanisms to measure the delivery of these outputs.

All aspects of the SLA should be negotiated and agreed upon by the two parties to ensure

that optimum service provision arrangements are put in place. The SLA should provide

clarity to both parties on their respective obligations and responsibilities.

Performance criteria should be set to enable the Department to measure the performance

of Bus Éireann and to ensure that an economic, efficient and effective service is being

delivered.

Reporting arrangements should be updated. To improve transparency, the annual

statement of account should be prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting

standards and include a statement of financial position or balance sheet.

Accounting Officer Response (included in the C&AG report) We agree in part with this recommendation. The 1975 Summary of Accounting Arrangements remains the current arrangements in operation and offers significant benefits which we would wish to retain for the Exchequer. It allows the State to leverage available transport management and tendering expertise within an established semi-State company for the benefit of an exchequer funded scheme. The State has the capacity to unilaterally alter the criteria for the scheme in line with public policy decisions. All funding within the scheme, including any reserve, is ring-fenced for expenditure on school transport, with a demonstrated capacity for the Department to extract a rebate where appropriate. Within the continuing context of the 1975 arrangement, we accept the recommendation to put in place an SLA. A document is currently at an advance stage of finalisation and it is intended that this will be concluded with Bus Éireann soon. In advance of this document, some of the reporting principles that it will outline are already being put in place. This will help to formalise the on-going financial oversight carried out by this Department, one result of which has been that for the past number of years an element of the transport management charge has been rebated. Elements of the current financial oversight employed by the Department include:

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A formal budget and projected costs for the financial year are agreed, based on the evidence

on trends emerging on the expected service level demands and Department sanctions when

services recommence for the school year.

Bus Éireann fleet numbers have been reducing and these cost reductions have been

reflected in the agreed budget.

A formal schedule of payments by month is provided generally at the beginning of the year

to the Department and this is reviewed at monthly meetings.

An annual statement of account is provided at the end of the external audit process.

Progress since Publication of the Report Within the continuing context of the 1975 arrangement, we have implemented this

recommendation and a Service Level Agreement (SLA) was put in place in September 2017. The

document sets out the key responsibilities of Bus Éireann and the Department while it also

establishes a formal methodology for monitoring the Key Performance Indicators.

The SLA outlines the reporting principles in place, financial oversight arrangements by this

Department, The document also sets out the key responsibilities of Bus Éireann and the Department

while also establishes a formal methodology for monitoring the Key Performance Indicators.

A review of the current SLA is underway. This revised SLA will incorporate best practice as per the

Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies.

C&AG Report - Recommendation 3.2

The Department should move from cost to performance as the basis for payment.

All costs associated with the scheme should be analysed and classified e.g. direct costs,

indirect costs.

The 13% transport management charge should cease. Any surplus on the scheme should be

linked to metrics around service delivery and efficiencies.

Accounting Officer Response (included in the C&AG report) We agree in part with this recommendation. We will continue to work with Bus Éireann to monitor the costs of the scheme and to analyse them on a monthly basis at our scheduled meetings. The Department takes account of the robust Bus Éireann internal financial control procedures, together with the independent assurance reporting provided by the external auditors regarding the operation of the school transport scheme. We have agreed an annual assurance from the Board of Bus Éireann in relation to its school transport tendering process. To further enhance our monitoring of the costs charged by Bus Éireann, we are working to provide an independent external assurance report on the reasonableness of the 13% charge. This report will have regard to prior discussions between the Department and Bus Éireann on the appropriate proportion of costs allocated to school transport. It is expected that a draft report will be available soon. The school transport scheme is a demand-led service based on the number of eligible children who apply to avail of transport. We work with Bus Éireann to analyse costs to the scheme on an on-going basis while each year the company produces an audited statement of account. This ensures that the financial information provided by Bus Éireann is in accordance with the relevant summary of accounting arrangements.

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The 1975 Summary of Accounting Arrangements, which remains in place, has been the subject of High Court challenge and appeal. There is no profit and the remaining uncommitted reserve of some €6.7 million (at end 2016) may only be used on the school transport scheme. The school transport scheme is one of ‘cost recovery’. Bus Éireann provide the Department with an annual projected cost of school transport services together with a provisional spread of payments. These costs are broken down under the headings agreed in the 1975 arrangement which include payments to contractors, maintenance, Bus Éireann driver costs and the transport management charge. The Department makes 10 monthly payments to Bus Éireann on a provisional account basis. Under the proposed SLA any variance to these amounts will be agreed in writing between the two organisations with a full explanation of the reasons for the variance. These figures are incorporated into the Department’s annual profile of expenditure and are monitored on a monthly basis both in terms of the Department’s monthly profile of expenditure and Bus Éireann information based on actual costs versus projected costs. Expenditure headings and profiles are discussed at monthly meetings held between the Department and Bus Éireann. Where changes in projected expenditure occur a new year-end forecast is submitted by Bus Éireann and reflected in a revised spread of payments. Actual expenditure is finalised in the Bus Éireann annual statement of account which is independently audited by the Bus Éireann auditors in accordance with the 1975 Summary of Accounting Arrangements. Balances, where they occur, are accounted for in the following year’s projected cost. It should be noted that since 2011, the Department has secured rebates totalling some €21 million from Bus Éireann on the 13% charge for administration and indirect costs. Progress since Publication of the Report A review of the apportionment methodology utilised by Bus Éireann for the School Transport

Scheme has been finalised.

An independent expert was appointed to carry out a review of the apportionment methodology for

the transport management charge (capped at €11.3m) that is paid by the Department to Bus Éireann

each year. This report was completed in March 2018. The RSM report has provided us with a

detailed analysis and classification of costs incorporated into the transport Management Charge.

Based on the recommendations of the report, the Department has developed a reporting framework

and we are currently working with Bus Éireann with a view to completing these reports, initially on a

bi-annual basis, with a view to moving to a system or payment based on a direct apportionment of

costs.

C& AG Report - Recommendation 3.3

The method of how minutes are kept of meetings should be reviewed and improved. The discussions around key operational decisions that take place in meetings between the Department and Bus Éireann should be documented in sufficient detail so that a reader of the minutes can gain an understanding of the different issues that were discussed prior to the decision being made. Accounting Officer Response (included in the C&AG report) Agreed. There are regular meetings held by the school transport section and we maintain a record keeping system that is in line with business objectives and is in keeping with good governance practice. We will review the recording of decisions at meetings and ensure that they allow the

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effective and efficient operation of the business units involved. Progress since Publication of the Report All Operational Meetings between the Department and Bus Éireann are minuted and agreed by all

attendees as a standing agenda item.

4. Seat Utilisation and Capacity

The Department and Bus Éireann are conscious of the need to balance economic considerations with

the need to ensure that pupils do not spend excessive time travelling to and from school. In the

organisation of school transport services, all routes are planned in such a way as to ensure that, to

the greatest extent possible, every eligible pupil has a reasonable standard of transport (including

waiting times), while also ensuring that vehicles are fully utilised in the most efficient manner. In

order to achieve this, individual vehicles are often required to operate more than one service: this is

known as a “double trip”. A double trip comprises of two trips to the same centre using the same

bus.

In the context of seat utilisation on mainstream primary and post primary services and double trips it

is worth noting that a larger bus that is at or near full capacity on the first run, and which has

sufficient time to operate a second trip with a fraction of the same numbers of children, can usually

provide the second trip at lower cost than employing a separate smaller vehicle. Looking at the

capacity utilisation of the second trip in isolation, it may appear that the second trip represents poor

value for money. However, in the context of the ability of the vehicle to undertake a double run, it is

still the most economic and efficient approach to take overall. This is illustrated by the fact that the

cost of the second trip of a double run using a large bus is less than half the cost of providing the

second trip using an additional small vehicle. It is also the case that, in certain instances, the most

economically advantageous tender bid may not involve the smallest vehicle and, as such, a vehicle

which has spare capacity may still represent the best value for money.

Furthermore, related to seat utilisation is “seat occupancy”. Seat occupancy surveys have been

carried out by Bus Éireann at the request of the Department to establish how regularly children

issued with tickets are actually using the bus. Prior to the introduction of charges at primary level,

even though a higher number of eligible children were allocated seats, seat occupancy surveys

indicated that many of these children were not availing of the service. For example, one survey

showed a 29% occupancy in the morning and a 34% occupancy in the afternoon. However, with the

introduction of charges, even though there was a reduction in the number of eligible children

availing of the service an updated survey indicated that the occupancy rates of these children

increased to 73% in the mornings and 66% in the afternoon (May 2018). This improved occupancy

rate is indicative of improved value for money as a result of the introduction of changes.

The implementation of improved safety measures also has an impact on seat utilisation. Historically,

school buses were overbooked to the extent that more children were allocated tickets than there

were individual seats on the bus. This policy was abandoned in the interests of safety and all children

now have an allocated seat with mandatory use of a seatbelt.

Finally, capacity utilisation has a geographic dimension to it. The areas where there is high demand

for school transport services generally have very low capacity and in such areas when all eligible

children have been catered for spare seats are offered to non-eligible children on a concessionary

basis, resulting in little or no capacity. In areas where demand is not as high there may be capacity

on services. As such, aggregated capacity utilisation figures and the picture at regional level can

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differ significantly. Clearly, since capacity is provided in fixed units of vehicle size, spare capacity in

one area cannot automatically be redeployed in another.

5. Concessionary Transport

Changes to the school transport scheme (primary and post primary) were announced in Budget

2011, derived from recommendations in the Value for Money Review of the School Transport

Scheme (published March 2011). The changes encompassed a number of elements such as national

application of the distance rule of 3.2 kilometres at primary level, the cessation of the

Closed/Central School Rule at primary level, the cessation of catchment boundary area to determine

eligibility at post primary level, the increase from seven to 10 eligible pupils residing in a distinct

locality to retain or establish a school transport service and the introduction of charges at primary

level.

These changes, introduced in 2011 and 2012 respectively, will take a full school cycle of 8/6 years

respectively to implement viz. completion by June 2019/June 2018.

Existing children at that time who were eligible for school transport, and met the distance criteria of

3.2kms/4.8 kms respectively, retained their transport eligibility for the duration of their schooling,

provided their circumstances do not change.

Transport on a “concessionary” basis is available to children who are not eligible for school

transport, because they are not attending their nearest school or because they reside less than the

requisite distance. Transport on a concessionary basis is subject to a number of conditions which are

detailed in the School Transport Scheme such as the existence of spare seats on the bus after all

eligible children have been catered for and payment of the school transport charge regardless of

whether the child holds a valid medical card.

As a consequence of these changes, the evidence is that a growing number of children are availing of

school transport on a concessionary basis since 2011 as follows:

Year Primary

Total

(excl.

SEN)

Of

which

C*

% C* Post

Primary

Total

Of

which

C*

% *C on

transpor

t

Total on

transport

(excl SEN)

C* on

Transpor

t

Over

all

% C*

11/12 41,186 4,312 10.5 63,546 542 0.9 104,732 4,854 4.7

12/13 40,490 6,026 14.9 63,656 2923 4.6 104,146 8,949 8.6

13/14 40,711 7,267 17.9 64,113 5103 8.0 104,824 12,370 11.8

14/15 39,893 9,699 24.3 62,893 8989 14.3 102,786 18,688 18.2

15/16 39,150 12,169 31.1 64,496 12,987 20.1 103,646 25,156 24.3

16/17 39,455 12,272 31.1 64,699 12,970 20.04 104,154 25,242 24.2

17/18 39,255 13,377 34 65,449 13,853 21.1 104,704 27,190 26

*C denotes concessionary

The Programme for Government committed to a review of the concessionary charges and rules

element of the School Transport Scheme. This review was commenced in June 2016 and published

in December of that year. As part of the review process an Oireachtas Cross Party Working Group

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was established to feed into the review and that group met to discuss school transport issues. The

review published in December 2016 made recommendations on both the charges and the rules

element of concessionary school transport.

The report also recommended that the number of concessionary places should be reduced in line

with the rules introduced in 2012 on a phased basis. Previous plans to advance this option were put

on hold, pending the completion of the review. However upon consideration of the review and

discussions at the Cross Party Working Group, a Ministerial decision was taken that there should be

no planned programme of downsizing in the coming year except in line with normal operational

decisions within the current scheme. That decision has been maintained for 2018/19 school year.

Therefore a programme of fleet downsizing which would negatively impact on the numbers of

children travelling on a concessionary basis, has not been implemented. In consequence the savings

which would follow from the reduction in school transport places arising from the full

implementation of the 2012 rule changes to the scheme have not materialised.

6. Special Education Needs (SEN) Scheme

The purpose of the Department's School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational

Needs is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of

children with special educational needs arising from a diagnosed disability. In general, such children

are eligible for school transport if they are attending the nearest recognised mainstream school or

unit that is or can be resourced, to meet their special educational needs under Department of

Education and Skills' criteria. Eligibility is determined following consultation with the National

Council for Special Education through its network of Special Education Needs Organisers (SENOs).

The Department and Bus Éireann are very conscious of the specialised nature of transport provision

for children with special educational needs. This is reflected in the standard of service provided and

by Bus Éireann, factoring the individual requirements of the children concerned into the planning of

these services which generally operate on a door-to-door basis. Eligible children are exempt from

school transport charges.

A Special Transport Grant (STG) towards the cost of private transport arrangements may be provided

in certain situations such as where Bus Éireann is not in a position to provide a transport service; a

child’s age, behavioural difficulties or medical needs are such as to make the provision of a transport

service impracticable; or an escort is considered necessary and the provision of such support is not

feasible.

The scheme has grown significantly in recent years. The number of children availing of the special

education needs scheme has increased by 3,512 from 9,239 children in 2013/14 to 12,751 in

2017/18 and the overall costs of the scheme including grants, payments to contractors and funding

in respect of school transport escorts has risen by over €27 million from €64.02m to over €91.7

million over the same period.

Children with Special Educational Needs

Year Primary Post primary Total

2011 8,283 n/a 8,283

2012 8,317 n/a 8,317

2013 9,239 n/a 9,239

2014 9,791 n/a 9,791

2015 8,887 935 9,822

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2016 10,504 1,146 11,650

2017 11,300 1,200 12,500

June 2018 11,444 1,307 12,751

School Transport Expenditure on Special Educational Needs

Year STG €

Escorts €

SEN Contractors €

2011 3,171,000 15,160,000 42,000,000

2012 2,627,000 14,424,000 40,600,000

2013 2,290,000 16,853,000 44,900,000

2014 2,234,000 18,618,000 47,700,000

2015 2,331,000 20,436,000 50,200,000

2016 2,560,000 22,947,000 58,694,000

2017 2,754,000 25,371,000 63,668,000

Every year, this Department ensures that every child with special educational needs who needs school transport is either provided with a door-to-door transport service to and from school, or receives a grant to provide for the same. In 2018, almost €1.8 billion will be invested in Special Education, nearly one fifth of the overall Education budget, and up 43% since 2011. In September of this year there were a number of reports that there were children who had applied for SEN school transport who were not placed on a school transport service at the start of the school year. At the start of the 2018/19 school year the Department was finalising school transport arrangements for approximately 400 children while applications continued to be received. The numbers of applications being finalised at the time were broadly in line with previous years. Applications for SEN transport are received on a year round basis. Where a new service is required this is means a procurement / vetting process while in many instances the school is also sanctioned to employ a transport escort and this necessarily takes time to put in place. By accepting applications year round, the Department can ensure that children with special educational needs receive the transport they require. To ensure the efficient delivery of services for children on Special Educations Needs school transport, Bus Éireann assesses each application to assess the options available. Where children can be facilitated on an existing service, applications are processed immediately and arrangements put in place with families involved. Where a new service has to be established there is a lead in period for this process that includes issues such as:

route design and procurement including contract award;

in many instances a School Bus Escort is required for the child’s safe transport to school and it can take time for the school to source a suitable person which can impact the start date;

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In some locations of the country it has become challenging to procure contractors for SEN routes over the last number of years. In particular this year there have been difficulties in Dublin and Cork and this has resulted in some delays.

The Department and Bus Éireann are very conscious of the specialised nature of transport provision for children with special educational needs. This is reflected in the standard of service provided by Bus Éireann, these services generally operate on a door-to-door basis. The Department continues to work with Bus Éireann to ensure that all eligible children have access to a service in a timely manner. The Department recognises and acknowledges that there were issues with communications and customer service at the start of the school year and we are working with Bus Éireann to ensure that this is improved upon.

7. School Bus Safety

The safety of children and those on board school transport vehicles is the number one priority for

the Department and Bus Éireann. The Department holds quarterly meetings with Bus Éireann and

the Road Safety Authority to discuss road safety issues of relevance to school transport.

The Department is assured that Bus Éireann has a robust safety regime in place. The Department

will continue to discuss the concerns raised by the RSA, directly with Bus Éireann, with the intention

of ensuring that any improvements that need to be made to the fleet or to procedures are

prioritised immediately.

Information on School transport bus safety checks

The school transport fleet is made up of both Contractors Vehicles and Bus Éireann vehicles.

Vehicle roadworthiness

In order to be considered roadworthy a bus must pass an annual Commercial Vehicle

Roadworthiness Test (CVRT), conducted under the auspices of the Road Safety Authority (RSA) at

approved test centres around the country.

Bus Éireann school transport providers are contractually obliged to ensure that their vehicle has an

up to date roadworthiness certificate issued by an RSA accredited test centre when a contract is

signed. The contractor is obliged to keep their roadworthiness certificate current and up to date at

all times and provide Bus Éireann with evidence of this.

All school buses in service - procured by Bus Éireann to provide services under the School Transport

Scheme - that are subject to roadside inspections must have current roadworthiness certification at

the time of inspection.

Agreements with contracted providers

A detailed contract is put in place for all contracted services – which includes numerous safety-

related items. There is a strict process in place before any vehicle or driver is added to the approved

list for provision of services under the School Transport Scheme. Required documentation is checked

and copies are held by Bus Éireann offices. This documentation includes insurance and insurance

indemnity, valid Road Passenger Transport Operator Licence (with required vehicles added), valid

Certificate of Roadworthiness (CRW), appropriate valid Public Service Vehicle licence (large/small)

(PSV) and evidence of Tax Clearance. Bus Éireann contracts also include a stipulation that requires all

contractors to have planned maintenance programmes, with checking intervals of not more than six

weeks.

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Every Contractor is also responsible as an individual bus operator, licensed by the Department of

Transport, Tourism and Sport, to ensure they comply with legislation in all respects.

Additional vehicle checks

In addition to statutory requirements, Bus Éireann arranges for additional examinations of vehicles

operating under the Scheme – which are both targeted and random. These additional quality

assurance checks are carried out by an independent agency on our behalf. Approximately 17% of the

fleet is receiving an extra roadworthiness check each year under this audit, which is designed to

enhance the safety of the school bus services we provide in the intervening period between annual

RSA roadworthiness tests. Any vehicles that fail these examinations are stood down until any

defects are rectified by the contractor. If contractors are found not to have carried out the required

improvements to the fleet, they face penalties up to and including termination of contract.

Bus Éireann Vehicles

Bus Éireann vehicles are brought into the garage every six weeks for a full maintenance checks.

8. School Transport Scheme Statistics

Children on Transport

Year Total Number Mainstream Special Educational Needs

2011 113,015 104,732 8,283

2012 112,463 104,146 8,317

2013 114,063 104,824 9,239

2014 112,577 102,786 9,791

2015 113,892 104,070 9,822

2016 116,075 104,425 11,650

2017 116,774 104,274 12,500

June 2018 117,455 104,704 12,751

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Mainstream – Eligible v Concessionary Children

Year Eligible Children Concessionary Tickets (% is a %

of Total Tickets)

Total Tickets

2011 99,878 4,854 4.6% 104,732

2012 95,197 8,949 8.6% 104,146

2013 92,454 12,370 11.8% 104,824

2014 84,098 18,688 18.2% 102,786

2015 81,862 22,208 21.3% 104,070

2016 78,912 25,242 24.2% 104,425

2017 77,500 26,775 25.6% 104,274

June 2018 77,474 27,230 26% 104,704

Primary Scheme – Eligible v Concessionary Children

Year Eligible Children Concessionary

Tickets

Total Tickets

2011 36,874 4,312 41,186

2012 34,464 6,026 40,490

2013 33,444 7,267 40,711

2014 30,194 9,699 39,893

2015 28,768 11,184 39,952

2016 27,254 12,376 39,630

2017 25,729 13,000 38,729

June 2018 25,878 13,377 39,255

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Post Primary Scheme – Eligible v Concessionary Children

Year Eligible Children Concessionary

Tickets

Total Tickets

2011 63,004 542 63,546

2012 60,733 2,923 63,656

2013 59,010 5,103 64,113

2014 53,904 8,989 62,893

2015 53,094 11,024 64,118

2016 51,810 12,985 64,795

2017 51,770 13,775 65,545

June 2018 51,596 13,853 65,449

Children with Special Educational Needs

Year Primary Post primary Total

2011 8,283 n/a 8,283

2012 8,317 n/a 8,317

2013 9,239 n/a 9,239

2014 9,791 n/a 9,791

2015 8,887 935 9,822

2016 10,504 1,146 11,650

2017 11,300 1,200 12,500

June 2018 11,444 1,307 12,751

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School Transport Charges

Category of pupil

Annual charge

2009/10 and

2010/2011 school

year

Annual charge

2011/2012

school year

Annual charge

from 2012/13

school year

PRIMARY

Eligible pupil €0 €50 €100

Concessionary pupil €200 €200 €100

Maximum family

contribution €110 €220

POST PRIMARY

Eligible pupil €300 €350 €350

Concessionary pupil €300 €350 €350

Maximum overall family

contribution €650 €650 €650

Percentage of children holding Medical Cards

Year Primary Post primary

2011 32% 46%

2012 37% 50%

2013 39% 52%

2014 36% 50%

2015 36% 52%

2016 35% 50%

2017 32% 47%

June 2018 32% 48%

Note: Eligible children holding medical cards are exempt from paying the school transport charge