News of increased school transport fees shows that free education continues to be a myth under this Government, according to Social Democrats education spokesperson Jen Cummins TD.
Deputy Cummins said:
“This is yet another charge being piled onto what is supposed to be a free education system. The decision to double costs for primary school students and increase costs for secondary school students by 33% reflects a broad and worrying trend of shifting the cost of education onto families by Government.
“School transport is an essential service that enables thousands of children to access their education every single day, yet the barrier to entry has been heightened by these increases and the cap for families also being raised substantially, from €125 to €220.
“This is not happening in isolation. It is part of a pattern wherein the Government continues to introduce or increase charges associated with education, while claiming the system itself is free.
“The increase could not come at a worse time for households, which are already grappling with rising living costs.
“We are in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, and yet families are being hit with additional education-related expenses. Energy bills, groceries, childcare, housing – all of these costs have gone up, and now parents are expected to absorb yet another increase.
“The Minister for Education must re-evaluate this move and reverse it immediately – families at breaking point cannot be expected to incur any more rising costs.”
March 31st, 2026