Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate that the Minister is new to the role. My difficulty is that we always get a stock answer about the school transport scheme. With the greatest of respect, I am aware of the school transport scheme and how it works. My own two children get the school bus every day.

My question is about these children in Kilkenny. They number approximately 20 in total in three localities in Kilkenny. They are having difficulty getting to school. Parents have had to try to make alternative arrangements and have had to take time off work. There are spaces on the bus. My difficulty is that any time I raise the matter with those responsible, they do not address any of the issues I am raising. We say to them that there are definitely 12 seats free on the Paulstown route. They come back and say no seats are free. Given that other children and parents have been able to see that 12 seats are free on that bus every say since 1 September, can the matter not even be investigated or looked into? I have raised the matter several times but I have got only one response thus far from Bus Éireann – that is it. The company says the same thing and refers to the school transport scheme and concessionary and non-concessionary tickets. I am calling on Bus Éireann to look at the specific situation in these three villages and come up with a solution rather than simply telling us the rules of the scheme.

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