Government TDs must hold ministers to account over school bus "shambles" says Clarke

Sinn Féin TD for Longford Westmeath Sorca Clarke has called on Robert Troy, Peter Burke and Joe Flaherty to urge Minister for Education Norma Foley and Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan to take immediate action to address the school transport "shambles" that has left children and parents stranded.

Deputy Clarke said:

“Parents up and down the state have been badly let down with thousands of children left without a place on school transport.

“Many parents, who have relied for years on school transport on concessionary passes, have been left high and dry after being told that their child no longer has a seat on the bus.

“They are being told that Bus Éireann is getting correspondence that additional capacity is not being sought for concessionary pupils who secured tickets for this school year, while other parents lost out due the unfair lottery nature of the scheme.

“Families expecting to see savings of €500 now look set to instead be heaped with additional costs as they try to find alternatives.

“My constituency offices have been overwhelmed with worried families who are paying for a service upon which they relied and now find themselves unable to get their children to school.

“There has been a complete failure of Ministers Foley and Ryan to plan and deliver the additional capacity needed.

“They should have anticipated the increase in demand following the introduction of free school transport, and should have worked with Bus Éireann to deliver additional capacity to ensure that no child is left behind.

“Instead of facing up to this debacle, they have gone into hiding, so government TDs here in Longford Westmeath must hold them to account.

“Failure to do so demonstrates a real lack of respect for parents. This mess is entirely of the government’s making, and families need a solution and they need it now.

“Sinn Féin Education and Transport spokespersons, Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire and Darren O’Rourke, have consistently called for an additional 10,000 places on school transport.

“That is the level of investment that is necessary to get on top of this crisis, to get children onto school buses, and to deliver relief for parents who left tearing their hair out with frustration.

“The worst part of this is that the government is making no attempt to fix this.

“That simply is not good enough. We need to see a plan to ensure that every child who needs a school bus seat actually gets one.”