Time to do right by the children

DEMAND New school transport system needs to be developed - Cllrs

“It’s time to do what is right by the children of this country.” That’s according to Cllr Clifford Kelly (FF) who put forward a motion at this week’s meeting of Cavan County Council asking the Government to introduce a school bus scheme to facilitate all families that wish to avail of it.

Cllr Kelly told the meeting that every single September “without fail” public representatives like himself become inundated with requests from parents pleading for a seat for their child on the school bus.

“A proper bus service needs to be put in place for children going to school,” he said, before adding “most families have two parents working and the school transport is vital to them”.

“If a proper system was introduced and done right, it would work and it would end up paying for itself.

The Minister for Education, Norma Foley, must take this seriously and do what is right by the children of this country.”

Meanwhile, Cllr Aine Smith (FF) said her school is dealing with school transport issues “year in and year out”. “I see the problem every year and the difficulties that parents and children face,” she continued.

“This is the time of year when the Department of Education should be looking at school bus routes and sorting it out once and for all. Dealing with something like this in August and September is absolutely ridiculous.”

Cllr Brendan Fay (Ind) then pointed to the important role that “cop on” and “forward thinking” could play in securing a proficient and effective school transport system in this country. “A little bit of forward thinking wouldn’t go astray when it comes to this issue,” he suggested.

“It needs to be sorted out once and for all.”

Cllr Shane P O’Reilly then said how incomprehensible it is that the same problem emerges year after year, after year…

“It beggars belief that every single year, we come into this chamber and we discuss the school bus issue,” he continued. “Some children can get buses and other children can’t and every year we will have the same arguments again.

As sure as night is day, we will be discussing this again next year.

Bus Eireann needs to cop on; people are being paid massive amounts of money in offices to implement school bus routes and it’s absolute bloody nonsense.”

Cllr Kelly’s motion received unanimous support and it was agreed to write to the Department of Education about the matter.