Joe Flaherty (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Bus Éireann has agreed to carry out a review of the school bus service in order to comply with the 50% capacity ruling. It was expected that it would take five or six weeks and that additional buses would be provided to resolve the dreadful situation in which many families who do not have access to buses find themselves, as well as assisting beleaguered private bus operators. We now hear from Bus Éireann that the review may take up to 12 weeks, which would bring us up to Christmas. Many balls have been dropped by Bus Éireann throughout this process. I am aware of numerous children with special needs who, four weeks into the school term, still have not been able to attend school because Bus Éireann has not finalised the provision of transport for them. I acknowledge it will take money to sort out this crisis but the reality is that money invested will trickle down to private operators if Bus Éireann can get its act together. It is a semi-State company and it is important that, as such, it steps up to the plate at a time of national crisis. It receives more than €40 million in State subvention each year. Its handling of this crisis thus far has been disgraceful.

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