Mattie McGrath: School transport rules are 'unworkable and unfair'

I want to thank the Councillor for giving me this opportunity this evening and thank the Minister of State for being here. Minister, every August my office is inundated with school transport issues from parents who haven't been able to secure a bus place for their child. I'm sure your office is the same, Minister, and all representatives are the same. This causes unnecessary stress late in the day before the school returns. Children can't get a bus ticket because some might live too close to their nearest school, some live too far away from their school of choice, and some are minimally further in distance between their nearest school and their second nearest school. These issues crop up for families coming from rural areas to local secondary schools in the towns, particularly in my South Tipperary constituency, in schools in Caire, Killingall, Fellert, Cune Manor, Bitson Sound and Cork, and indeed Carrick and Shure. For example, one family were unable to receive a bus ticket because Busy End deemed them to live too close to the school in Caire. Despite the fact that they lived on a rural road, a few kilometres away from, with no footpath, no public lighting, and their neighbour, a little further up the road, was able to avail up the tickets. These rules are unworkable and unfair, Minister, and I'm sure you understand that yourself. Another common issue is when two schools are very close to each other. I will give the example of my own village of Cochrane, Newcastle, versus Caire and Clonmel. And incidentally, back in the 70s, when that school was a VEC school, closed, they got a commitment, the people of Newcastle at the time, that they could go to either school, Caire or Clonmel. That commitment was given good faith and accepted good faith and operated for many decades, but now, for some reason, it's not operating. So, as I said, that school in Newcastle is about 10 miles in Caire and about 9 miles in Clonmel. There's a little difference in the distance from the village to the two towns, and there is always a mix of students heading to secondary school in either good schools in Clonmel and the next school in Caire Community College, Clonmel. But the Cochrane Scheme dictates which school the students can get a bus to. The scheme is an invaluable resource to families, you know, but it needs amending, badly needs amending. I'm aware that in 2023, the Department of Education undertook a much-needed review of primary and post-primary school transport scheme. And in 2024, recommendations from that review were made to change the eligibility and the distance criteria. I'm asking you, Minister, can you confirm if your department, along with Bussain, have implemented around 10 to implement those changes and those recommendations which will greatly reduce the issues for the coming school year. It's vital that it was examined, took a long time to get it examined, but the review was carried out and recommendations have been made, and it's pointless waiting, they must be introduced immediately. It's no point in waiting until late July or early August to do it. That's a problem as well with the time. The timeline is now, but it's so late to get the tickets, and so late in the day you're going to scramble against time. And people, and our parents are worried, our guardians, and indeed it causes awful trouble for the children being bullied as well, because they can't get on a bus, why can't you get a ticket, you're not paying for it. You know what a usual thing can happen amongst teenagers. So this needs to be, it's a great scheme, introduced by Donna O'Malley. I evaded for myself when it came out in, I'd say, 69 or around that time. And it has worked well, but it needs tweaking, and like everything else, it needs to be tweaked now ahead of the new school, Tarram. They're going on holidays late in the sea now, so for August again. Thank you. Thank you. Cahill, look, and I thank Deputy Matthew McGrath for raising the issue and gives me the opportunity to outline to the House the issues in relation to Bus Airden and how it has managed the school transport system on behalf of the Department of Education and Youth. A deputy will be aware that the School Transport 2030 report was published in early 2024 following a comprehensive analysis and review of the scheme as it currently operates. The recommended changes to the future operation of the scheme includes expansion of the current eligibility criteria, addressing current operational challenges and moving towards greater integration with public transport to ensure best value for money for the exchequer. It's proposed to expand the access to the scheme so that an additional 100,000 pupils can be carried by 2030. A phased implementation of the review's recommendations began at the start of the last school year, 2024-2025. Following the publication of the review of the Department, will test the feasibility of a number of approaches through a series of pilot programmes. These pilot programmes will be held in conjunction with the Department and Bus Airden. A total of 14 pilot projects are on the way in the current school year and are currently being evaluated. It is intended to continue current pilots for the upcoming school year. They will be monitored and further evaluated and that will take place at the end of the 2025-26 school year. The findings of these evaluations will guide the planning and implementation need for the national rollout of the revised school transport system. WOC is on their way to identify where further pilot programmes can be conducted. A number of approaches have been examined, including the use of the GIS system to identify how many additional children would become eligible and where they are to be located. A digital mapping project of all the existing school bus routes have been developed and there is ongoing collaboration between the Department of Transport, Bus Airden and the National Transport Authority in regarding the planned expansion of the public transport routes to explore where integration is possible. This is not always possible because, as the Deputy referred to in terms of specific rural areas, and I suppose, you know, just as I was standing up to two, I travelled to both primary school and secondary school on the school transport system and, you know, the service that's been given, the length and the breadth of the country, is second to none. And I remember with great fondness those that drove us on the buses and those contractors and indeed bus airden that made it possible. So we are, the implementation of the recommendations of the review will continue to be planned subject to resources becoming available to meet the increased demand. Under the current terms of the school transport system, children are eligible for transport at primary level where they reside not less than 3.2 kilometres from attending their nearest national school and at post-primary level, they're less than 4.8 kilometres, not less than 4.8 kilometres from attending their nearest post-primary school or education system as determined by the Department of Bus Airden having to go out to the ethos and the language. A number of weeks ago, I think it was two weeks ago, officials from Bus Airden and the Department of Education came into the AV room to meet with the members of the Oireachtas. It was the first time that it was actually done that they issued an open invitation to all members of the Oireachtas, both the Dáil and the Siannit, to hear from the members the challenges that are being faced at the school gate. And I always say in our own office that school bus tickets become the issue from the 15th of August right through until about the first or second week of October. There's huge challenges in relation to it. And I suppose the importance of the school transport system and how families are relying on it now, as they did when free education was brought out because the transport wasn't as available, but because of the importance of that to families, many families with two parents walking and so forth, it is hugely important. And I can assure the deputy that I will be continuing to monitor this with our officials in the department and Bus Airden to make sure that we can make changes and make it as accessible as possible. I was lucky to get it to both schools. I didn't get it to a national school, but I did have cycled to Mark Millery actually that year too, during the exam. And I didn't take in any students that year. They had a phase closure. So I went on the bus to St. Joseph's in Cair. And I too want to thank the bus drivers and the man named Montgomery at Henry Ward and the contractors to this day who have given an excellent service. But the tweaking is there too. The over-70s, I've seen people here and I've been up my feet here 10 times here in the last 10 years to try and get this change, this over-70s disqualification. If a driver is fit and able and has medically certified, he should be allowed to bring the children to school. He's allowed to come to school at 10 o'clock to bring them off to a match or anything else. It's non-sistic and the RSA have too much to say here on this. The Minister should try the statutory instrument to clear this because contractors can't get drivers and it's age discrimination against elderly. Decisions are vital. You said it there yourself, Minister, from the 15th of August down to October. Those decisions should be out in early June. And then safe pickup locations are very important. For example, in Clawhean to Mitchistown school bus, the bus doesn't come as far as the village of Clawhean, some call it a town, forcing parents to drive to Cagmore Cross, Halfway, Clawhean and Ballabarine, a junction on a busy rural road pickup. This is surely not the best practice for road safety, particularly in the dark winter mornings and evenings. In the interest of safety, some parents send their kids to Route 245 to Clawhean public bus stops. But it is a village at a similar time every morning, the public bus. This is only one example, but there are many. So the free school bus tickets were introduced recently as cost of living due to the downturn in the economy. They were hugely appreciated, but they had many knock-on effects that weren't anticipated and obviously with more people using the buses. So the minister needs to be tweaked and I know you're doing your best you understand it yourself and you're a recipient of it yourself in the early stage when it came out. So I'd appreciate if the moves could be made. I know the pilot schemes are welcome, but we need more than the pilot schemes. I suppose there's a couple of things that you mentioned. So the closing date for the payment or for medical card issues is the 6th of June next, which is Friday or a week. And both Ireland and the department officials have assured me that they will be working extremely hard over the three weeks after that to get the information together, to correlate the information together and to understand where the needs are, where the challenges are going to be met. So a lot of work is going on in that and I would like to pay tribute to the officials in the department and both Ireland for their engagement with me over the last number of months since my appointment and I look forward to working with them in relation to it. But they have assured me that they will be working in relation to this and we will be having weekly meetings in relation to reviewing it constantly to make sure that we have the information to families as soon as possible. I think it's crucially important we do that. You mentioned in relation to the over 70s and this is an issue that has come up time out of number in many discussions in relation to school bus systems and the challenges in it. The programme for government have given a commitment that that would be reviewed and I would like to allow the review to take place so that we have the best information possible, that we have data and we have opinion and that we have a proper review of that and then that we will make a decision on how to move forward. I take that point because it was raised a number of times in the AV room at the briefing but I will continue to work on it and I think that we you know in school transport we have to pay tribute to all of them both Aaron and the contractors as well. The contractors are vitally an integral part of it and of course the school bus drivers because they become a part of the extended family and like to pay tribute to all the bus drivers the length and the breadth of the country for the work that they do right throughout the year and indeed in the more challenging winter months but I can assure the deputy and I can assure the house that we will be working extremely hard over the next number of months to make sure that we have the best information for families in as timely fashion as is possible. Thank you.