Thrown13 under the bus
Parents and pupils protest over loss of school transport service
It is another attack on rural Ireland. It is absolutely wrong
PEADAR TOIBIN SINN FEIN TD YESTERDAY
DOZENS of school kids took part in a protest march yesterday morning after they were told there is no room for them on their local bus.
The students and parents walked 10km from Kildalkey village to Trim in Co Meath.
Pupils have used the service since starting secondary school, but the Department of Education has said the catchment for their area is in Athboy, and bus seats are not guaranteed.
Parents now face transport chaos, with some calling on the Department to end concessionary seats to ensure pupils have a secure place for the duration of their time in school.
Una Swords said: “I received an email telling me that not only will Caoimhe (13) not be able to get the bus to start secondary school, but my 17-year-old daughter Aoife, who has been getting the bus for the last four years, is no longer eligible either.
“Each year we have to pay up front €300 per child for a place on the bus and then wait until last minute for approval.
“We’re told the seats are concessionary, which means the student isn’t guaranteed one for the full duration of their education.
“My daughter has been kicked off the bus for who or why I don’t know, after four years
and my youngest now can’t get a seat to start a new school.
“Most parents work and have to leave early in the morning.
“This problem is going to get worse as more and more kids each year graduate to secondary level.”
Sinn Fein TD Peadar Toibin said: “This is absolutely wrong that seats get taken off children two weeks before school starts and some have been on the bus for years. It’s another attack on rural Ireland and the Government needs to start reinstating and improving services in our villages and small towns.”
Bus Eireann confirmed several children in the Kildalkey area have not been allocated a ticket for school transport to Trim.
It added: “Terms of the schemes are applied equitably on a national basis.”
A Department for Education spokesman said: “Children who are eligible for school transport and who have completed the application process on time will be accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation.
“Children who are not eligible for school transport, but who completed the application process on time, will be considered for spare seats that may exist after eligible children have been facilitated.
“Under the terms of the scheme, the availability of concessionary transport varies each year.”