Peter Roche (Galway East, Fine Gael)

I, too, have been listening to this debate for a number of hours. I will acknowledge that the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, have only been in office since last January. From engaging with both of them on these issues, I know of the gallant efforts being made to resolve them.

As I said, I listened to the debate. Like most others, the problems are repeated in every constituency.

My real concern is people being denied tickets sometimes without a clear explanation. Some children are forced to walk over 4 km per day to reach a pick-up point even where a safer closer collection point is available. In some cases, students with disabilities are not allocated buses with proper accessibility, which is a real concern, leaving families in impossible situations. We have heard from families in our constituencies who have a Bus Éireann stop near them but because it falls outside the catchment, they are forced to drive to a different point in another town. This is not their system. It is just the system that is designed and this system is failing them. In light of the fact these issues affect children and young families, a prompt and co-ordinated response is required - I know this is something the Minister promised - from the Government and the tender services.

As legislators, we need to ensure school transport is fair, safe and sustainable. The current system needs overhaul. I and others acknowledge that there has been a change in demographics, which adds its own pressures because it is very difficult to predict what is coming down the tracks year on year with certainty. We need to look at continued reform and investment and accountability. This must include revisiting the age guidelines. I would add my voice to that. Older drivers can drive around Europe yet they are forbidden to drive for Bus Éireann. We need to look at the routes in every constituency. I am parochial. I represent Galway East. In situations where schools are over capacity, students who would normally choose that school are being pushed to go to other locations that are not within that catchment and therein lies another anomaly. A child may have to move to a new location thus pressurising him or her into finding a new bus route. A young lady from my parish applied for a bus ticket for a different school and was refused notwithstanding the fact that they had a ticket already. If we are down to refusing one child on a route like, it really calls this into question, so I am looking for more flexibility and more availability.

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