Laois family worries already about school bus transport

Families need to know if school bus seats will be available from next September with some already worried they will loose out.

Speaking as the deadline for School Transport Payments scheme passed on Friday, June 9 Laois Labour Area Rep Eoin Barry said it is critical that the Minister for Education confirm that those in Laois paying by the deadline will receive a school bus seat.

Mr Barry said there are fears in families about the future despite the fact the school year has not yet ended for all children.

"Already parents and students in Laois are beginning to worry about whether they will have a seat for the new school year or not. 

“The Minister must realise that school communities in every corner of the country want to see universal school transport. Last year’s free tickets only served to inflate numbers in Laois and push more students off buses and into cars.

 “The school transport system has been broken for a number of years, patched up with sticking plasters by various Ministers. The annual scramble for tickets, based off a concessionary model that is outdated and inequitable, was made even more unedifying last year with the free fees proposal. Instead of building confidence and encouraging use, it kicked families off buses that they had used for years," he said.

He said there are consequences to limiting spaces.

“By not expanding capacity on routes, the Minister and the Government created a log jam pitted classmate against classmate.

“The Minister constantly reiterates that it is a demand led system. That in itself shows that it is plannable year to year. If you want a seat, and you pay for a seat, you should get a seat.

“Universal school transport, coupled with free bus transport for all school-going children, would have been a radical move that could have reduced traffic pinch points in towns throughout Laois.

“Abolishing the distance criteria would be a first step towards universality that would reflect the realities of students and families,” he concluded.

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The issue caused major problems in the Emo Ballybrittas area in 2022 where pupils were left without bus transport they previously qualified. After parents went public, it was eventually reinstated.