Longford children missing out on school buses: 'Ridiculous school bus goes by my house and it is only half full'

County Council Cathaoirleach Mark Casey raised the issue of children in county Longford being omitted from school transport at last week’s county council meeting.

In his motion, he stated, “I call on Longford County Council to seek a meeting with the Bus Éireann school transport office, with responsibility for Co. Longford, to discuss the number of children omitted from school transport throughout the county.”

“This is a problem throughout the county and particularly in south Longford,” Cllr Casey told the meeting.

“There is a situation where buses are going by people’s houses. The school bus goes by my house and it is only half full. This is a ridiculous situation,” the Cathaoirleach added.

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Cllr Casey added that “there is no consistency” from year to year in relation to student’s eligibility for the school bus scheme.
“We need to meet with these faceless people making these decisions,” he added.

His motion was seconded by Cllr Garry Murtagh (FG). The Granard MD councillor told the meeting that, “Bus Éireann need to accept an invitation to meet with councillors.”

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Cllr Paul Ross (FG) stated that, “I wholeheartedly support this motion. This is a huge issue in Ardagh. We need to write a letter to the Minister for Education and keep the pressure on.”

Cllr Paraic Brady (FG) also backed the motion. “Clarity hasn’t come from the department in Athlone on this issue. There seems to be a mix up regarding ticket allocations.”

Cllr Mick Cahill (FF) said, “this is a very live issue. Something practical needs to be done.”

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