The Department of Education is understood to have provided school representatives with assurances that almost 6,000 secondary students currently attending schools outside their local catchment area will be provided with seats on school buses next month.
The move, at a meeting between senior department officials, Bus Éireann and local transport liaison officers (TLO's) from the State's 33 VEC's yesterday, looks set to ease the fears of many parents.
They had faced the prospect of paying for private bus hire to bring their children to school - or moving them to schools within their local catchment area.
However, it was unclear last night whether any extra resources are being provided by the Government to cater for the students in question.
A spokeswoman for the department was unable to say whether the commitment would require the hiring of extra buses or would be achieved through maximising the number of places which will already be made available.
Significant extra capacity is already expected to be created as a result of the phased introduction of new buses to allow for the elimination of the so-called "three for two" seating arrangement on buses.
Some 250 additional minibuses from the private sector and over 130 large buses are to be added to the existing fleet, with 50 of the latter going into service next month.
The department said work is continuing on maximising capacity by reorganising existing bus routes and redeploying a variety of buses on routes.
"Both the TLOs and Bus Éireann are working in close co-operation in this, the busiest week of the year for the scheme's administration, to bring on stream the additional capacity needed to progress the phasing out of the three for two seating arrangement."
However, the statement only expressed confidence that the "vast majority of existing post-primary catchment boundary students using the school transport system will be carried on school buses from next month."
Sources at yesterday's meeting said the department had provided assurances that all existing catchment boundary students would be catered for. A figure of 6,000 such students was also provided at the meeting.
Nevertheless, the sources pointed out that other "concessionary" students, who live close to their school and who have, in the past, been provided with seats where available, have not received assurances of a place.
They also warned there "could be an issue" for first-year students in the future, as the commitment only applies to existing students.
The department said parents will be informed locally as the new arrangements are implemented. The spokeswoman added that future second-level students would be accommodated where seats were available.
Last Monday was the closing date for students to register for a place on their school bus.