Half the first term of the new scholastic year is already over but more than 800 students are still waiting for free school transport.

According to data presented in parliament, 810 students were still waiting to be offered free transport to school.

Education Minister Evarist Bartolo said last month the number of students on the waiting list had gone up to 900 from 829 in September. The waiting list grew despite more buses being drafted in to provide the service, Mr Bartolo had admitted.

He said the number would be fluctuating since some applicants had dropped out and others signed up.

Asked how the shortage would be addressed, Mr Bartolo had said more qualified drivers and operators needed to be drawn in.

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“The problem cannot be solved through magic,” he said, noting there was a shortage of vehicles and drivers.

The students from Independent and Church schools on the waiting list were from different localities, Mr Bartolo said in Parliament on Monday in reply to a written question by Nationalist MP Karol Aquilina.

The free school transport scheme has been marred with controversy since its inception. Days before the start of the academic year, independent and Church schools told the Times of Malta they were bracing themselves for a “traffic nightmare”.

Asked when the situation would be resolved, given that the scholastic year was now in full-swing, Mr Bartolo had said the Education Ministry was working to resolve the situation as soon as possible.

By mid-October, the number of students using transport stood at 25,081, the Education Ministry said.