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LAST UPDATE | 29 Aug 2022
EDUCATION MINISTER NORMA Foley has said that there are currently difficulties in procuring additional buses and drivers for the school bus scheme, as schools begin to return this week.
Foley said that there are plans to increase capacity on the scheme and that Bus Éireann are currently working to increase the number of school buses and drivers.
“There is a difficulty in procuring additional buses and bus drivers but we are working through those issues,” said Foley, speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland.
It comes amid unprecedented demand for the school transport scheme, after the Government announced they would be waiving the fees in early July as part of a package to reduce back-to-school costs.
Families who are eligible for the school bus scheme are set to save €500.
Foley said that there have been 115,000 school bus tickets issued so far, which is the highest ever number of tickets issued in a single year.
The Minister added that additional tickets would be issued to families today and tomorrow and that Bus Éireann are currently issuing 6,000 tickets a day.
Foley said that there would be additional space on buses to allow concessionary tickets to be issued this year, but that those eligible for the scheme would be prioritised.
Currently, primary students are eligible for the scheme if they live more than 3.2 kilometres away from the closest primary school, while secondary students are eligible if they live more than 4.8 kilometres away from the closest secondary school, with some exceptions.
“In the round, we must be fair and say that for any scheme there must be an eligibility criteria,” said Foley.
“Those who meet that eligibility criteria become eligible but where there is additional capacity, and this will be the case this year, there will be additional capacity on buses, then concessionary tickets will be made available.
“In the short term now, there will be an inconvenience to parents but in the long term, this is a positive, proactive measure for many, many families. It is a huge saving of financial resources.”
One mother, who lives in northeast Galway, told The Journal she has not yet received bus tickets for her five children, despite using the service for over six years without any previous issues.
“When I contacted Bus Eireann last week, I was told no seats were allocated to my girls. We both work in Galway city and leave the house at 6.50am to avoid traffic in the city. It is looking like our girls will have to be dropped at the school at this time as we have no means of getting them to Athenry without a bus.
I am not even sure the school will be open at this time. I feel very aggrieved as a lot of the homes around me have received tickets. At this stage it’s not about free transport we are willing (as we have in the past) to pay for this service.
“When we returned to school after the pandemic our route was split to half-capacity and two 52-seater buses were assigned to the route with approx 25 children on each bus. If this could be accommodated during a pandemic, without any issues, why can the same not be organised to date? This is causing undue stress at what is already a difficult time when returning to school,” she said.
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And who’s vetting the people who are going to stay there
@John O Mahony: yeah….loadsa criminals among those women, the elderly and especially those dastardly children fleeing a war zone.
@Graham Manning: u are a funny guy mate. You watch too much western news. mate I work in Dublin Airport and I am telling you that 40 percent are adult men.
@Stephen Murphy: : I am. I don’t. You don’t. BS.
@Graham Manning: is everyone innocent or is that just wishful thinking do you know all these people’s backgrounds, if not your statement is pointless
@Graham Manning: one is enough, so now we let anyone in without vetting, we have seen how that worked with the common travel area
these kids would be better off bungee jumping off a bridge on the M50 than having anything to do with Tusla
@Chris Mc: You’re right, I wouldn’t trust Tusla to organise a piss-up in a brewery.
@Chris Mc: Which bridge?
Lucky Tulsa and other Government agencies have so much spare capacity to take on this extra workload.
Name and shame the creep
@Peter Willekens: my sentiments exactly
He should followed his answer to the question if he would be taking in any refuges with if his family do decide to support a family as a family, we would need to go through the vetting process like everyone else. That would be leading by example and not further practicing one rule for one and not for government officials.
You can bet the lad who listed the ad is an obeese fella with a face like the back of a bus who sits in his chair playing computer games and spewing vitriol on Discord servers. Probably has a load of empty Doritos packets and takeaway pizza boxes strewn around his gaming chair.
@Quiet Goer: It is necessary to make abusive comments about overweight people.
I expect the lad thought his listing was funny too just like you thought your comment is funny.
There’s a lad who belongs on a list.
have your say