Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The issue is with regard to the pick-up points and to the common sense that is needed around this to ensure the health and safety of children. I know the Minister would agree with that. The school transport system is plagued by a lack of flexibility in an number of ways. As the Minister knows, the system needs to be reformed. We all know that the scheme is not a door-to-door service but at the same time there needs to be common sense applied in each situation. In rural areas, roads can be very dangerous, there are often no footpaths and in the winter months it can be really dark. We are not asking for the bus to go far out of its way. This would only require a small detour to collect safely a number of children. The important point is that the road used to be served by a school bus but was stopped when there were no children using it. Now that there are children using it, it should be reinstated. This is why I am asking the Minister to look at it. Some areas may go for a period of years with no children and then children move in to the area - and we are very grateful that they do, in those cases - and in those cases, the school bus system has to respond to facilitate those children.

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