Limerick school bus shortages leave some students without transport to education
BUS ÉIREANN have been criticised for a lack of communication over a shortage of spaces and services to and from schools in County Limerick.
Fianna Fáil Cllr Bridie Collins submitted a Notice of Motion for Limerick City and County Council to request that Bus Éireann Limerick School Bus Department attend this month’s meeting of the Municipal District of Adare/Rathkeale but there was no response, prior to the meeting, from Bus Éireann.
There have been reports of school bus shortages across Limerick and Ireland leading up to the new term with many students and families left with no other choice but to find alternative transport to school.
“The problem is that we don’t know the full extent of the issue,” Cllr Collins said. “The major problem is the lack of communication with Bus Éireann.
“We’ve always had good communication over the years but this year there has been absolutely and utterly no communication whatsoever.
“We are getting contacted by parents and schools who are not getting the information themselves,” she added.
According to Cllr Collins, a lot of families only found out they were not selected for a place on the school bus “days before” the schools were opening with some schools in the Adare/Rathkeale areas left with no school bus at all.
The Fianna Fáil Cllr also pointed out the negative effects a lack of a bus service would have on the environment.
“Every child, in my opinion, should be given a bus ticket and as part of our national climate action, the school bus service should be the poster boy of how we roll out public transport.
Independent Cllr for Adare/Rathkeale John O’Donoghue said that Bus Éireann’s lack of bus services/spaces is largely due to a staffing issue as the job just isn’t a lucrative source of employment anymore.
“If you’re a professional driver, your licence lasts for five years. You have a CPC (certificate of professional competence) every year and sometimes you’ll have two CPCs. It’s a training course that you have to pay yourself. Up-to-date training is good for everyone but it is the same five-year cycle over and over again. You have to do your driving lessons and the cost of getting a licence, so it’s a huge cost,” Cllr O'Donoghue said.
“Younger people coming in do not see bus driving as an attractive full-time job,” Cllr O’Donoghue added.
According to Bus Éireann, as of August 30, 5,614 tickets have been issued to eligible and concessionary pupils in Limerick, an increase of 12% compared to this time last year.
“Difficulties have arisen in some locations in Limerick with a small number of contracted services. These were services where drivers were originally secured and tickets issued, however, at the last minute contractors have advised us that it has not yet been possible to provide a service in time for the new school year. This is against a backdrop of driver shortages being experienced in many sectors of the economy throughout the country,” a spokesperson for Bus Éireann told the Limerick Leader.
“These services are not cancelled, and the Bus Éireann School Transport team is working intensively to ensure that transport arrangements are put in place as soon as possible,” the Bus Éireann spokesperson added.