Dublin parents have said that they are "worried sick" over a lack school bus places for their children as thousands of students prepare to go back to school next week.
One worried mum, Annie, told Dublin Live that this year two of her sons are starting secondary school in the Fingal area. However, she was informed that while she has applied for the School Transport Scheme she is still waiting to hear if her children will have been allocated a ticket for the school bus.
She said: "I sent the application to them before the deadline which was July 29, we are still waiting to hear from Bus Eireann and the Department if they will get a place on the bus. I've heard that a lot of kids have been refused places from the Fingal area due to capacity issues. I'm worried sick about them being refused a seat on the bus to be honest because I've no car, and they're supposed to start school in just over a week."
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It follows an unprecedented number of applications this year after the Government announced that school transport fees would be waived amidst the spiralling cost of living crisis. Minister for Education Norma Foley said it was a "significant investment" with families making a saving of €500.
In a statement to Dublin Live, the Department of Education said the school transport ticket registration for the coming school year closed on 29 July, by which time almost 130,000 applications/registrations were received and 112,800 tickets have now been issued.
In response, a spokesperson for Bus Eireann stated: “Post-primary students are eligible for transport where they reside not less than 4.8kms from and are attending their nearest education centre (as determined by the Department of Education/Bus Eireann). Bus Eireann will continue to process applications and to issue tickets as soon as extra buses and drivers are sourced and become available to provide transport for the higher numbers qualifying for the service.
“However, regrettably the unprecedented numbers of new applications for the upcoming school year, has led to some delays in issuing tickets.” Sinn Féin spokesperson on Climate, Communications and Transport, Darren O’Rourke, has today called on the Minister for Education to urgently intervene to expand capacity on the School Transport Scheme.
He said: “The government’s failure to expand capacity on the School Transport Scheme, in conjunction with the elimination of fares, is causing massive problems for families. The removal of fares has resulted in unprecedented numbers applying for the scheme, but because of the strict criteria in place, thousands of children who are categorised as ‘concessionary’ will now be refused a seat.
Deputy O'Rourke added that parents of children who have been refused seats will be left in "a very difficult position, as they cannot do the school run due to work commitments" and totally depend on the school bus. He said: "Families who expected to realise savings of €500 now look set, instead, to be heaped with additional costs as they try to find alternatives.
"It’s a spectacular failure of planning and turned what should be a good news story on fares into a nightmare for many who will now be left without a seat," he added.
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