MANY CHILDREN ARE about to begin the new school year but cannot get a place on the school bus because the school they are attending is too far away from home.

The school transport scheme, operated by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education, requires a child to attend their nearest school, with the exception of post-primary students if they have religious or language preferences. 

But if their nearest school is full, many families are forced to send their children to schools further away. This means they cannot secure a place for their children on the school bus.

With many families in limbo, there are calls for the Department of Education to change the policy.

Caroline O’Laochdha, from Clarinbridge in Galway, told RTÉ Radio 1′s This Week that her family is in a “bit of a predicament” at the moment.

Her son Rian applied for a place on the school transport scheme but in July they were told that they would not get a place on the bus.

“That’s on the basis that we are closer to the school as the crow flies to Calasanctius College in Oranmore,” she told RTÉ Radio 1′s This Week.

“So we’re in a little bit of a predicament at the moment.”

O’Laochdha said the family did not apply to the Oranmore school because of oversubscription and its feeder-school admissions policy – where students are typically sent to a specific next-level school after graduating.

“We have two younger kids that we have to drive to a country school and then we have to bring them to Athenry.

“We’re both working full-time and we’ve also got the care of an elderly parent who’s living with us full-time with dementia.”

At least 30 children and their families are affected in Clarinbridge alone, according to RTÉ.

In response to the concerns raised in Clarinbridge, Bus Éireann told RTÉ that over 130,000 tickets have already been issued for the 2026/27 school year.

It said that further tickets will be allocated in the coming weeks, with a selection process used if demand exceeds spare capacity.

The Department of Education told RTÉ that Bus Éireann operates the scheme.

It appears that the problem is not confined to Galway and could be widespread. Aontú councillor Emer Tóibín told RTÉ she has been contacted by more than 80 parents in Navan, Co Meath, about school transport problems ahead of the new academic year.

Speaking on RTÉ 1′s This Week today, Minister of State at the Department of Education Michael Moynihan said that the scheme is “hugely important to parents and to families” and the department will need to make an “informed decision” about any changes that are made.

“We have put in the admission policy in a number of pilots, but we’ve also rolled out… 26 pilot schemes over the last two years to look at this policy, and those pilot schemes are due to report during September. 

“We really have to make an informed decision. And those informed decisions will be based on the review of the pilot, the 26 pilot schemes that are across the country at the moment.”

When asked what parents should do if their nearest school is full and their children are denied a place on the bus, Moynihan said “that information has to be sent to the department to be assessed”.

In 2025, more than 181,000 children and young people availed of the scheme, an increase of 50% since 2019. 

A review in 2024 recommended expanding access to an additional 100,000 students by 2030 and removing the requirement to attend the nearest school.

Those changes are being introduced on a phased basis through pilots across the country.