Fleet is subject to more random checks and inspections, but accidents will still happen

NOT since May 2005 and the Kentstown tragedy has there been a fatal collision involving a school bus. In that incident, a bus carrying 51 pupils overturned at Kentstown in Co Meath, claiming five young lives – Lisa Callan (15), Clare McCluskey (18), Aimee McCabe (15), Deirdre Scanlon (17) and Sinead Ledwidge (15).

Thankfully, there have been no fatalities since, although there have been a number of serious incidents, including yesterday’s collision in Limerick.

Last September, 10 people including eight children were taken to hospital following a crash between a bus and van in Donegal. In September 2015, more than 50 secondary school children had a narrow escape in Cork when their school bus overturned on a bend in poor weather before rolling into a field.

Some 3,000 schools across the State are served by school transport, which is operated by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. Around 90pc of services are operated by private companies, around 1,250 firms, and some 116,000 children were carried to school in 2016 across 6,500 routes.

A lot has changed since Kentstown, in particular the requirement that all children travelling on buses must wear a safety belt. Without doubt, this has helped avoid injury and death.

Today, buses and commercial vehicles must undergo annual roadworthiness checks. The Road Safety Authority (RSA) is responsible for licensing testing centres, which are subject to unannounced inspection, and data from tests is collected by the RSA and used to identify firms that may pose a risk to the public. The RSA also conducts roadside inspections, and bus drivers are governed by limits on the number of hours they can drive.

That said, issues still emerge. Of the 1,207 buses subject to RSA roadside inspection in 2016, half were found to have defects. One-third of all defects were classified as major or dangerous, and were found in 260 of the buses inspected. There is no suggestion that the incident in Limerick, or others, are linked to a dangerous vehicle. The RSA says many of these buses with defects were identified through its targeted inspection approach.

The RSA 2016 annual report notes it has been “deliberately focusing” on the school bus sector.

Bus Éireann also says that it subjects its contractors to heightened inspections. All vehicles operating a school bus service must be under 20-yearsold, and each must provide a roadworthiness certificate. In addition, “regular, random” checks are carried out, with each route subject to inspection at least once a year. The company said at least one in six buses is tested on a random basis.