Bus Éireann still calculating number of students left without tickets

Over 119,300 tickets already issued up to Tuesday, August 30.

As concessionary bus tickets as still being processed at present, Bus Éireann says that the scale of the number of students left without seats is not yet known.

Already this year, Bus Éireann has received approximately 130,000 valid applications for school transport, of which 44,000 were new applicants.

Typically, there are 30,000 new applications which includes children starting or moving school from primary to secondary or who have moved residence.

However, since 29 July, over 119,300 tickets have already now been issued up to Tuesday, August 30, an addition of 12,000 places over the 2021/22 school year.

Bus Éireann says the problem has arisen where the Government’s suspended fees for the 2022/2023 but failed to sync that by amending other school transport scheme criteria.

Yesterday (Tuesday) the Taoiseach Micheál Martin admitted there are “real challenges” with school transport provision entering the new school year.

Free school transport was announced as part of a package to tackle cost of living pressures. But the system has been unable to handle the increasing number of families hoping to avail of spaces.

“We are in the middle of an energy crisis, we’re in the middle of a cost of living crisis, if we look medium term in terms of climate change, the more people using buses the better, particularly school transport”, he said, speaking at an event in Clones.

“I accept there are real challenges with the implementation of this, this September. It is the direction of travel, excuse the pun, in terms of the utilisation of transport for access to schooling and education more generally.”

Bus Éireann operates the school transport scheme on behalf of the Department of Education.

Post-primary students are eligible for transport where they reside not less than 4.8 kms from and are attending their nearest education centre as determined by the Department of Education/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.

Distance eligibility is determined by Bus Éireann by measuring the shortest traversable route from the child’s home to the relevant education centre.

Families who are deemed concessionary are not attending their nearest education centre.

In a statement issued to The Anglo-Celt, a spokesperson for Bus Éireann said: “The ticket priority is to ensure eligible pupils receive tickets firstly, followed by concessionary pupils who are attending their second nearest school. A large number of pupils attending the schools mentioned were unsuccessful in securing tickets for the 2022/23 school year.”

In the wake of the situation which has developed, where many parents were only informed of the development yesterday (Tuesday) by email, two days after the new school term had started for some, local TD Brendan Smith said there was a “clear problem” that needs addressing.

“We are inundated with very concerned and indeed angry parents in relation to the non-provision of transport at present.

“The concessionary tickets have been an important part of school transport for decades.

“Now we have students who had transport in the past and have no such provision for this school year.

He says he too has engaged with the Education Minister about the school transport issues: “As a matter of urgency there must be a major mobilisation of every possible bus service, naturally with proper standards, to put in place these essential services.”