Lack of school bus places for West Cork pupils raised by local councillor 

Some pupils in West Cork have no seat on their school bus, even when the school is the nearest one to them.

Local councillors have agreed to press the Department of Education and Youth for a review of school-transport rules.

A letter is to be sent to the department, seeking a change that would allow all children to be offered a seat, with the safety of the road between home and school taken in to account.

The motion was brought by Social Democrats councillor Isobel Towse at a recent meeting of Cork County Council’s West Cork Municipal District.

Ms Towse said the distance rules did not reflect the reality of travelling on rural roads. 

She said children who live only a few kilometres from school can be ineligible for a standard bus ticket, even when walking or cycling the route is unsafe.

Ms Towse spoke of a pupil from Owenahincha who is attending secondary school in Rosscarbery. 

The pupil lives 3.5km from the school and has a concessionary ticket, which only provides a place on a bus if space is available. However, Ms Towse said the bus was full.

She said the journey involved travelling on the winding road from Owenahincha to the N71 at Owenahincha Cross, and then crossing or travelling on the national route at Newmills.

Ms Towse said the danger of a road was not taken in to account when deciding whether a child should receive a standard or concessionary ticket.

“How are pupils like this expected to get to school?” she asked.

She said the issue was particularly difficult for working parents, especially a single parent with children attending different schools.

Other members said the issue had arisen repeatedly and that families were often left waiting until shortly before the new school year to learn whether a ticket was available.

• Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme