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Mattie McGrath has expressed concern about a worrying appeals backlog. Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie

Over 3,000 students turned down for school bus tickets, according to new figures

TD Mattie McGrath said that the ‘archaic’ system was facing a worrying backlog.

OVER 3,000 PUPILS were refused a bus ticket for school this year, according to new figures from the Department of Education. 

The figures, released to Tipperary TD Mattie McGrath, show that 3,100 students were refused or not allocated bus tickets for the coming year. 

School transport has repeatedly been raised as a difficult issue for parents, with the Covid-19 pandemic and concerns about social distancing this year raising additional questions over safety and capacity. 

The figures show that of the 3,100 who were unsuccessful in obtaining a bus ticket, 437 appeals were received by the School Transport Appeals Board. However, just one appeal was successful – with 195 appeals either disallowed or resolved in the meantime. 

McGrath was critical of the delay in processing applications – with 230 appeals still awaiting a decision while Bus Éireann sends information to the School Transport Appeals Board.

The closing date for school transport applications was 24 April. 

“It is unbelievable that we are now well into September and the School Transport Appeals Board does not even have the necessary information available to it to process the appeals that have been submitted. The system is just archaic and not fit for purpose,” McGrath said. 

“It is not acceptable that the review of the School transport scheme should be delayed as a result of Covid-19, given the fact that Covid-19 has in fact exacerbated the problems associated with the school transport scheme. With 3,100 students left to find alternative arrangements, the Government need to move on this and move urgently,” he said. 

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    Mute Clubhouse Barman.
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    Sep 10th 2020, 8:06 AM

    Before this pandemic school transport was a disaster. How the relevant authorities didn’t see this coming is beyond me. Better off clubbing together and coming up with a private operator.

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    Mute Dizzy
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    Sep 10th 2020, 8:13 AM

    @Clubhouse Barman.: Six month to prepare and couldn’t do it.

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    Mute Eugene Comaskey
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    Sep 10th 2020, 8:19 AM

    @Clubhouse Barman.: Well sure Bus Éireann are a disaster, At Bus Stops all over the Country they have Bus Timetables that are about 5 years or more out of date. That would be a fairly simple problem to fix. School Transport has always been a touchy subject , especially at this time of year, children getting refused over a distance of a few hundred yards etc.They also decide which School a child might attend, drawing up catchment areas. Yes, private transport is probably a better option..

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    Mute Atlas' burden
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    Sep 10th 2020, 8:30 AM

    @Clubhouse Barman.: it was €25 per week per child for our private bus operator because there was no public bus to our local secondary school.

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    Mute FlopFlipU
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    Sep 10th 2020, 8:39 AM

    @Atlas’ burden: how much was it with bus eireann

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    Mute Atlas' burden
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    Sep 10th 2020, 8:56 AM

    @FlopFlipU: €325 per annum but we would have to drop them off almost 10km to catch the bus.

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    Mute Trevor
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    Sep 10th 2020, 9:34 AM

    @Clubhouse Barman.: f%&k privatisation. During the corona all private bus companies in receipt of public funds through PSO ceased services. Cié were told as they were pso they had to continue.

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    Mute Trevor
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    Sep 10th 2020, 9:34 AM

    @Clubhouse Barman.: fupk privatisation. During the corona all private bus companies in receipt of public funds through PSO ceased services. Cié were told as they were pso they had to continue.

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    Mute vanc
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    Sep 10th 2020, 10:08 AM

    @Clubhouse Barman.: the buses are already outsourced to private operators. Its the pure inefficiency of buseireann, lack of routes and lack of supply of places for growing rural populations. You still have to get your child to the bus stop which can be miles away from your home.

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    Mute Kevin Daly
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    Sep 10th 2020, 8:35 AM

    The rules of the school transport scheme are , for secondary school pupils you must live more 4.8 km away from your NEAREST secondary school to be eligible for school transport.
    You must also have paid on time , this year the closing date for payments was August 4th. The terms of the scheme are clearly laid out on the Dept of Education website, parents are free to choose whatever school they wish to send their siblings to. If they dont qualify under the scheme then its up to them to transport their kids, not the state who spends large sums of money subsidising this scheme.

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    Mute Clubhouse Barman.
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    Sep 10th 2020, 8:38 AM

    @Kevin Daly: seriously… there are families that fit all those criteria and still can’t get a place either for younger siblings or get kicked off in 2nd, 3rd, 5th or 6th year. The problem is not enough buses.

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    Mute Sean Nihill
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    Sep 10th 2020, 8:54 AM

    @Kevin Daly: if you cant drive then your only choice is the one Bus Eireann decide on. The system is broken. The schools that the bus goes to can be over subscribed meaning no place. So what then. We have 15 kids in my village need a school bus and BE tell us to go to school with no places. They run it to suit themselves not the students

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    Mute billy bound
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    Sep 10th 2020, 8:58 AM

    @Kevin Daly:
    Are you serious?
    Can’t believe you accept this company as adequate.

    9
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    Mute Kevin Daly
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    Sep 10th 2020, 9:10 AM

    @Sean Nihill: If the system is broken then it’s up to the politicians to change the terms of the scheme.

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    Mute Sean Nihill
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    Sep 10th 2020, 11:16 AM

    If BE dont look for changes there will be none. Restating rules over and over again does not bring change. I’ve had 2 Tds write to BE and the response, the rules of the scheme are. Soul destroying dealing with them

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    Mute Jason Pierce
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    Sep 10th 2020, 8:39 AM

    Sone context to this would have helped. How many were refused every year for the last couple of years. Not just give this years figures to create outrage.

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    Mute Gerard Heery
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    Sep 10th 2020, 8:57 AM

    Surly the greens can fix this ,4.5km rule ,mummies SUVs running up and the country roads burning the planet to a crisp.

    28
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    Mute billy bound
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    Sep 10th 2020, 8:56 AM

    Don’t agree with mcgrath on much but he’s correct on this subject. That company is not fit for purpose, desperate website non existent customer service. You cant even call anyone about school buses as no number!!
    What a joke.

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    Mute Thomas Claffey
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    Sep 10th 2020, 9:41 AM

    The problem is bus eireann getting this school bus contract no one els can tender for a contract directly with the schools. Bus eireann gets €7 a year to basically be a recruitment agency for independent bus operators
    If the bus operators could tender directly with schools you could cut out the costly middle man and get more busses and better pay for the drivers

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    Mute Jason Pierce
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    Sep 10th 2020, 8:45 AM

    Some context to these figures is needed. Creating outrage on a number like 3000 when there is no comparison to the previous number of years figures.
    There will always be refusals for many reasons.

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    Mute Ed
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    Sep 10th 2020, 9:06 AM

    Years of underfunding has finally caught up with FF and FG.

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    Mute nazi killer
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    Sep 10th 2020, 10:06 AM

    What’s a bus ticket? Do they not just have Leap cards that they beep when they get on?

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    Mute Fun Gerry :)
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    Sep 10th 2020, 10:41 AM

    Cyclists name change of motor tax to ” POLLUTION TAX “. It’s 2020 and some people still don’t get it.

    So please don’t call it motor tax anymore… it’s pollution tax from now on. So we don’t have to keep repeating ourselves all the time. It’s getting boring now. I pay insurance as I have upgraded my bike and it’s worth a pretty penny. I pay E900 in tax very month so I’m not paying anymore.

    Relating to the article , it’s about time too

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    Mute Frank Flanagan
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    Sep 11th 2020, 1:12 AM

    Thats amazing, as most of the school buses in Wexford appear to be packed to capacity each morning with absolutely no social distancing onboard apart from the driver – have been watching the past few mornings.
    There is probably 3000 turned down EVERY year, so the story is a non-starter….

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