Radical change needed to ensure school transport for all - Sherlock
The review for school transport currently underway needs to take ‘a radical step and offer school transport places for all students’, according to Cork East TD, Seán Sherlock.
“A new system that removes a distance criterion can ease the burden for families commuting for work and reduce traffic pinch points in towns across North Cork,” said Deputy Sherlock.
“Everyone knows the issue in school transport. The unedifying scramble for concessionary tickets every August demeans families. We now have a review underway that can deliver that.”
Pointing out the benefits of creating a new bus system, Deputy Sherlock noted the knock-on effect on towns, which would help ease the pressure caused by parents having to undertake school collection by car.
“We now must change and fund the policy nationally so that any student can get a place on a school bus. I’m not convinced that the current scheme is fit for purpose.”
“If you brought in the public transport system, if you brought in the private operators, if you had a proper discussion about creating a new system whereby every student could get on a school bus if they so wished, you could create the demand for that. And the win in all of that is that you don’t have cars congregating at post-primary schools in particular, creating pressure points in towns throughout North Cork at certain points of the day where there’s already pressures on traffic in certain towns. It reduces the cost of living with petrol and aids the climate fight against idling cars outside schools.”
“It would take a lot of pressure off parents in particular and also there’s the self-evident benefits in respect of lessening the number of cars on the road at certain points during the day and there’s also the climate mitigation effects. It’s a win win.”
STEERING GROUP
In the 2020/2021 school year over 114,100 children, including over 14,700 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €224.7m in 2020.
Responding to Deputy Sherlock in a previous parliamentary question, Minister for Education Norma Foley said: “The School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. My Department commenced a review of the School Transport Scheme in February 2021. The review is being conducted with a view to examining the current scheme, its broader effectiveness and sustainability, and to ensure that the it serves students and their families adequately”.
“Wider considerations relating to the objectives of the scheme and the criteria for eligibility will take place in the next phase of the review which is now underway. The Steering Group will continue to report to me on an interim basis as the review progresses, with a view to presenting a final report with recommendations on the future operation of the Department’s School Transport Scheme,” Minister Foley said.