Parents around the country are feeling let down as thousands of children have been unable to get a place on a school bus this term, Sinn Féin has said.
Speaking in the Dáil, Longford-Westmeath TD Sorca Clarke said the situation was an "utter mess" and the Government had failed to plan for increased demand following the decision to provide free school transport this year.
Sinn Féin has called for an extra 10,000 school bus places.
Ms Clarke accused Minister for Education Norma Foley of hiding from the problem.
Responding, the Tánaiste said the Government is aware of the concerns of parents and it has been the biggest issue for rural TDs in recent weeks.
Leo Varadkar said that 21,000 additional spots were made available, although he acknowledged that it could not have been enough.
The Tánaiste also mentioned that a "nominal price" for a school bus ticket may be introduced in the upcoming school year.
Speaking in the Dáil, Longford-Westmeath TD @SorcaClarke_TD said it is an “utter mess” that thousands of children have been unable to get a place on a school bus this term. pic.twitter.com/y6HyZ5X5g4
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) September 15, 2022
This year, the School Transport Scheme received an unprecedented number of applications when the government stated that it would eliminate school transportation costs in response to the rising cost of living.
Families save €500 as a result, according to Minister Foley, making it a "major investment."
The School Transport Scheme, according to many parents and local officials, is currently in disarray because long-time users of the programme were being denied a ticket since they were no longer regarded to be qualified.
This year, there were a record 130,000 applications, with over a third coming from first-time candidates.
This number comprises rollovers from the previous school year and 44,299 new applicants.
In response to "exceptional demand," Bus Éireann reported last month that it had issued 121,000 school bus tickets.
Every attempt, according to the statement, is being made in offices all around the nation to find more drivers and buses as soon as they become available.
The School Transport Scheme gives preference to qualifying children, such as those attending the closest school, and if there are seats left over, other students are given discounted tickets.
Many parents who have been purchasing discounted tickets for years have gotten emails letting them know that they were unsuccessful in getting school transportation this year.
Bus Éireann uses a computerised random mechanism to allocate tickets when the number of applications for discounted school transportation exceeds the number of seats available.
Each local office keeps a record of the results and retains them.
.png)
The opinions posted here do not belong to 🔰www.indiansdaily.com. The author is solely responsible for the opinions.
As per the IT policy of the Central Government, insults against an individual, community, religion or country, defamatory and inflammatory remarks, obscene and vulgar language are punishable offenses. Legal action will be taken for such expressions of opinion.