Pauline Tully (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It makes sense, where possible, to integrate school bus services with public services. However, as the Minister of State said, that is not always possible. For example, where I live is very rural, as is where he lives. For environmental reasons, it is important to switch as many students as possible from using cars to using buses. It also gets young people into the habit of using bus services, which, we hope, will become a lifelong habit whereby they will continue to use public bus services and train services, etc., where they exist. However, that does not indicate whether increased capacity will be put on school bus services even though, as I said, the integration to the public service is well and good.

We also have a problem with drivers. Bus Éireann has a rule about drivers having to retire at 70. That is not the case if you drive a private bus or a truck, so I do not know why that rule cannot be changed to allow bus drivers to continue to work after the age of 70, if they so choose. I know a number of bus drivers who did not want to retire at 70 and were forced to do so.

I hope that there will be increased capacity in order that all students will be accommodated come September or August when they return to school, and that they will not be left in a situation in which they have been in previous years with no school bus service in the run-up to their return to school.