Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

That has not been my experience. I have a case where one brother got a ticket and the other did not. Their mother told me she would be driving behind the school bus. That is not an unusual or unique situation.

When parents contact Bus Éireann, they are met by a disregard almost for the query they have and the pressure this scheme puts them under. While I acknowledge the funding that has been provided for the scheme, the issue is with the scheme itself. Instead of repeating the problem, the Government needs to find a solution that works for everybody.

Children want to use this service and parents want their children on it. Traffic congestion in our towns and villages could be addressed with a proper service. Emissions would improve with a fit-for-purpose service and safety around our schools would rapidly increase with fewer cars on the road. Clearly, it is a win-win for everybody. However, there are fundamental flaws with the scheme and they need to be addressed. Without the review being published and actioned, we will have the same conversation here again next year and other parents will be in the same position as parents are in this year and were in last year and the year before that.

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