Remaining applications for school bus places halved

Bus Éireann has said that in the past week it has halved the number of applicants waiting to see if they have a concessionary school bus place.

Despite this, the company said 957 applications have yet to be processed, as late submissions are still being made by parents. This figure is down, however, on the 2,070 applications yet to be processed on August 25.

Children who live more than 3.2km from their nearest primary school, or 4.8km from their closest secondary school, are entitled to school transport. However, those who do not attend their nearest school do not have an automatic entitlement to a seat on the school bus and must apply for a place on a concessionary basis.

Last week, this newspaper revealed that Bus Éireann had received 25,345 applications for concessionary school transport, but only 23,275 had received bus tickets by August 25. That figure has risen to 26,202 who have paid for concessionary transport, but Bus Éireann said it has issued tickets to 25,245 applicants.

“While that leaves 957 applicants, tickets are currently issuing for places, as late payments continue to be received, and every effort will be made to accommodate more concessionary applicants where capacity allows,” a spokesperson for the company said.

“Last week saw a surge of late payments, and Bus Éireann staff in school transport offices across the country are working hard to transfer these into seats on routes, where possible,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said concessionary applicants are not guaranteed a seat, but 99.4% of all applicants successfully availed of a transport service last year.