By Dan Walsh
Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin has called on Ministers Moynihan and McEntee to stop passing the buck over the ongoing shambles in the school transport system, and to end the chaos, which he says is the worst he has ever seen since he started out as a teacher 35 years ago.
“My office has been inundated with messages from concerned parents about the chaos surrounding school bus transport. We’ve been trying our best to assist them. This issue arises every year, but this year is by far the worst I can recall, and I’ve seen at first-hand how vital school transport is for children with additional needs.
“Parents are telling me about bus services being pulled at the last minute, situations where one child in a family gets a bus place while the other in the school next door does not – forcing the parent to drive behind the bus which has empty seats. It’s ridiculous!
“Parents in Ferns are paying privately—up to €1,300 per year – for their children to attend school in Bunclody, due to the complete absence of a bus route.
“I’ve sent numerous pieces of correspondence to both Ministers, as well as to Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien, but they continue to pass the buck. The Minister for Education claims she’s not responsible. The Minister for Transport says he’s not. The Minister of State at the Department of Education and Youth simply forwards the same information from Bus Éireann that both the parents and I already know—without offering any real solutions.
Deputy Ó Súilleabháin asks; “Why are private companies not submitting bids to Bus Éireann, which is contributing to the shortage of buses and drivers?
“The entire school transport system needs to be re-evaluated. No child should be denied access to their school of choice due to a lack of a place on a bus.
“This is government failure of our children at its worst. We must invest more in our school transport systems.”
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