A local councillor says a Tipp school is seriously affected by the government’s decision to waive school transport fees.
Cllr Imelda Goldsboro says Ballingarry Presentation School is one of the worst affected by the issue, as it has over 17 students without any transport to the school this year.
She told Tipp Today the government’s intentions to waive the school transport fees were good, but the consequences will be “disastrous,”
This is down to a shortage of bus drivers and an influx of new applications for the transport system since the fees were lifted.
The Fianna Fáil councillor says many families, who have used and depended on the system for years, have been pushed out.
“People are very frustrated because they don’t know the terms and conditions, or the criteria, that they set on getting their ticket for their son or daughter. Applicants are allocated a ticket based on the availability of a seat when all eligible children have been catered for. So, there would have been a substantial number of new eligible children that would have got tickets this year, which would have pushed out the others, and there’s no room for those on the bus because the buses are at full capacity. ”
Cllr Goldsboro added that the government made the announcement before confirming logistics and strategies with Bus Éireann.
The Fianna Fáil councillor says this is now a national issue.
“There is no other access to public transport in rural areas. People are working, husbands and wives are leaving in the morning, there’s one parent families, they have no other way of taking their kids to school so they rely on this system. Right now, the situation needs to be addressed by the Minister, I would hope that with all the political will throughout the country – it’s not just Tipperary – it’s a national issue. “
