‘Half empty bus passes our houses but we’re not eligible for tickets’

Parents of primary school children in Moynalty have hit out at the lack of common sense from Bus Eireann which means that the school bus passes their doors every morning yet they are not eligible for tickets.

Parent Claudia Mulligan who lives on the back road to Nobber outside Moynalty village told how two of her children are among the 12 children would want to use the school bus but have not got tickets as they are not on the route as it stands. There are also more younger children due to start school in the coming years

Claudia explained: "We struggle every year trying to fight for the local school bus services. We live over 2km from the local primary school on the back road to Nobber out of Moynalty.

"Carolans Bus has for the past number of years have been doing the bus services for Bus Eireann. They use a 52 seater bus but only carried 14 children on the bus to the primary school last year. The problem is there are 12 kids on this road and more new families up and coming that have been applying for this service and cannot avail of it as we are told we are not on the route. But the bus passes all our houses to get to the route.

"I have been in touch with Bus Eireann about this over two years now asking them not to change the route, but extend it. There are children who live the other side of the village that have a safe footpath the whole way from their house to the school and live two minutes from the school who qualify for a bus ticket but our children do not."

Claudia pointed out that they fill in Census forms every five years to find out what services are needed in our areas but has questioned if anybody reads them.

She said another family of four children on their road applied for tickets last year and two children got concessionary tickets and two didn't, so they were no use.

Claudia was also told they are two close to the school but said it is literally by 0.02km. She pointed out that their road it is not safe to walk or cycle and said it would be "lethal" to let a child out on the road especially at times when there are heavy agricultural vehicles on the rural road.

When contacted in relation to the issue in Moynalty, a spokesperson for Bus Eireann issued this statement:

"Bus Éireann operates the school transport scheme on behalf of the Department of Education. Children are eligible for transport where they reside not less than 3.2 kms from and are attending their nearest national school as determined by the Department of Education/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.

"All eligible pupils who apply and pay on time are accommodated on transport services. Pupils who are not eligible for school transport under the scheme may be offered transport on a concessionary basis, where capacity exists once all eligible pupils have been accommodated.

"The availability of concessionary transport may vary from year to year. Where the number of applications for transport on a concessionary basis exceeds the number of seats available, Bus Éireann will determine the allocation of the tickets."