Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate. School transport, as many have said, is a critical service, particularly in rural constituencies and yet still, every year, as the previous speaker has said, we are in here in September or even October talking about the shortcomings of this critical scheme. Last year, there was a review promised. That review was promised to be completed in advance of this school year but that has not happened. Why has it not happened? No doubt the respective Ministers gave the instruction for this to be completed, but who within Bus Éireann, the Department of Transport or the Department of Education failed to carry out those instructions? Whoever it is should be held responsible because reform is overdue in this area.

I will give a few examples of the lunacy that pertains in my constituency. In Castledaly, outside Athlone, there is an 18-seater bus driving by the gates of three families with five children being excluded because they are not going to the closest school despite the fact they are going to a school within their own parish. Those who represent rural constituencies know people want to attend their parish school. Some of these children availed of concessionary tickets in the past and cannot get them this year. It is a lottery. All that needs to happen in that instance is for Bus Éireann, instead of putting on an 18-seater bus, to put on a 23-seater bus where everybody would be accommodated and parents, who are working hard, could continue to do their jobs.

There is a family outside Killucan whose eldest son had a concessionary ticket last year. This year, his twin brothers wanted to attend the same school. Lo' and behold, none of the family gets tickets this year despite the fact that there are still spaces on the school bus. We have a family who wanted to attend a non-denominational school, and that is not as close a school. They cannot get a concessionary ticket either.

We have an issue with Bus Éireann, which wants to change the drop-off spot in Athlone servicing three schools. Bus Éireann is refusing to engage with the school authorities in relation to dropping off pupils for three schools. This involves multiple hundreds of children. It is a retrograde step but Bus Éireann refuses to engage to ensure they are on the right course of action.

We want to encourage people to use public transport. What better way to do that than by enabling children to establish this habit at an early age? I ask the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, with the senior Minister, to identify when the review will be published and how they intend to iron out the anomalies in the scheme currently.

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