School transport fees are set to be scrapped for the 2022-2023 school year, as part of a new package to curb back-to-school costs, but parents need to act now to register with Bus Eireann.
School children who are eligible for the scheme must register before July 29th to get free fares for the coming year. Green Party TD for Wicklow, Steven Matthews said:
“The waiving of fees for school transport is an excellent initiative and will come as a welcome relief for many. It’s important that as many children in Wicklow avail of it as are eligible and I really want to get the message out that families need to register now.
“Going back to school is always an expensive time for families and with the rising cost of living this year it will be particularly hard. Not only will this free transport scheme save parents money but if there is strong take up then it will ease congestion around schools, reduce emission and lower air pollution. It’s very much a win-win-win.
“As a Green Party TD, I fully support any initiative that reduces the number of cars on the road. It’s also been shown in various studies that if children use public transport from a young age that it is habit forming and they are less likely to be car dependent as adults.
“Access to school bus transport is something that I have raised consistently in the Dáil in recent months and while this news is hugely welcome, I will continue to press for greater flexibility in the system that would allow families currently locked out of the scheme to have access to a bus place”, concluded Deputy Matthews.
This scheme means cost savings ranging from €100 for primary school pupils up to €500 for a family with more than one child in secondary school, subject to eligibility.
Parents who wish to register can do so at www.schooltransport.buseireann.ie.
Children are eligible for free transport at primary level for 22/23 where they live not less than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest national school. At secondary level that distance changes to 4.8 kilometres. Parents should check the Bus Eireann website for further details on eligibility.
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