'It is incredibly stressful and upsetting for the kids': Cork parents’ plea over school bus tickets

CORK parents have issued a plea to the Minister for Education and Bus Éireann to apply “common sense” and facilitate every student who is seeking school bus transport.

Numerous families in the Upper Glanmire and Glenville areas say they have been affected and left without bus tickets since the start of term.

Liz Counihan from Glenville has two sons in fourth year and first year respectively attending St Colman’s College in Fermoy. She says 12 children have been impacted in their locality.

“It is incredibly stressful and upsetting for the kids. We can’t get bus tickets and there are spare seats on the bus,” she claimed. “When my eldest son was in first year, he didn’t get a ticket, but he got one second time around in second and third year.”

“It is a lottery. We are rural. We don’t have a public back-up. Minister Foley is not listening to the voice of the rural community,” Ms Counihan continued.

The Cork mother has vowed not to give up, however.

“My husband and I both work so we are currently relying on an 82-year-old grandad to back us up.

“Every year Bus Éireann know how many students from Glenville need tickets for Fermoy.

“We looked at getting a private bus which would have worked out at €800 a month. This is not feasible.

“We want common sense to be applied. We want Minister Foley and Bus Éireann to listen.”

'We will keep battling'

Anita O’Flynn, whose two sons are studying in Coláiste an Chroí Naofa in Carrignavar, was also unsuccessful in securing school bus tickets.

“We live in Upper Glanmire which is just over four miles away from the school.

“They just notified us two weeks before school restarted that they didn’t have any tickets. My oldest son was always on the bus until this year.

“We will keep battling,” added Ms O’Flynn. “We are currently car-pooling with a neighbour. I have another small boy who doesn’t start school in Upper Glanmire until 9am. We both work and it is tough juggling it all.

“We have suggested putting on a smaller second bus and we will pay. We are all hoping, but there is no guarantee we will get good news. It is very upsetting,” she added.

'Children need to get to school'

Sinn Féin TD for Cork North Central Thomas Gould said there should be no barriers to education.

“Children need to be able to get to school safely and parents need to be able to get to work,” he said.

Sinn Féin local area representative for Cork City North East, Mandy O’Leary-Hegarty, added: “Parents in Glenville and Upper Glanmire are at the end of their tether.

“Last year, we raised similar issues in the same areas — the Minister knew this was a problem but completely failed to forward plan to avoid a repeat again this year.”

In response to a parliamentary question from Mr Gould in the Dáil this week, Education Minister Norma Foley said: “Bus Éireann have advised that they are aware of pupils residing in Glenville who are attending their fourth or fifth nearest school.

“At present all existing routes between Glenville and these schools are operating to capacity with eligible pupils and concessionary pupils who qualify for Temporary Alleviation Measures (TAMS).

“Under these measures, which were initially introduced in 2019, transport is provided where such services are already in place, for post-primary pupils who are eligible for transport to their nearest school, and are attending their second nearest school and who applied and paid by the closing dates,” Minister Foley added.