Groundhog day battle faced by Laois families to get school bus service

Families in a community that had to fight for school bus services for children in 2022 look like to will have to start the battle all over again.

With just weeks before the return to secondary school for pupils from Emo and The Rock areas, the families have received what they say is upsetting news.

“Bus Éireann School Transport division notified at least two families today, (Friday, August 11), that they would not be issued with bus tickets. Both of these families had bus seats last year. Furthermore, they applied on time this year and paid the relevant fee on time.

“Bus Éireann has told them that the bus is full. In fact, the problem is that the bus is smaller than last year's. The provision of a bigger bus is the solution,” said a statement from the parents.

The parent's group fought an arduous campaign last year to get the Emo/The Rock school bus services to Mountmellick Community School re-instated.

They say they are now “devastated that parents who had seats last year - are now left stranded in getting their children to school in 2 weeks time.”

The parents have made contact with Laois Offaly TD and Minister of State Seán Fleming for his help for which they call an “urgent matter”.

They say Minister Fleming played a significant role in the final stages of last year's campaign to secure the bus for all families who had applied.

“Families, especially those that are classed as concessionary ticket users, should not have to go through this worry and torment at the beginning of each school year.

“The government commenced a review of the school transport system in February 2021, this review and necessary improvements are still pending,” they said.

Last year's problems had to be sorted at the highest levels in Bus Éireann and the Department of Education.

The provision of bus services ultimately required sign-off by the Minister for Education Norma Foley. Minister Fleming said last year that in one scenario, there was a family whose children had used the bus service to commute to and from school in Portlaoise on an existing bus service on a concessionary basis that were not issued tickets for the 2022/23 school year.

Secondly, he explained that there was a large number of families in the Emo area who required school transport to attend Mountmellick Community College. This required having the bus service which ceased in 2016 being reinstated.

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It's just over a year since parents went public over these issues. At the time they called for 'immediate' efforts. The issue was not resolved until October.