Pledge over bus places for students

A vast majority of secondary school students using state transport will be allocated a space this term thanks to moves to eliminate overcrowding, it was claimed today.

The Department of Education said the greater number of post-primary school students entitled to school transport would be carried on the network.

“We are confident that the vast majority of existing post primary catchment boundary students using the School Transport System will be carried on school buses this September,” a department spokesman said.

Eligible students are accommodated on buses before remaining seats on school buses are allocated to concessionary passengers.

The department spokesmen said catchment boundary pupils are given priority over those living nearer their school.

Officials from the department, the school transport scheme Transport Liaison Officers (TLOs) and Bus Éireann held a meeting today to discuss the implementation of the new school transport policy.

The new policy will see the elimination of the “three-for-two” seating arrangement for second level students during the coming term and for all students by the end of 2006.

Bus Éireann and TLOs have been working to bring on stream the additional bus capacity to ensure the elimination of the old system of three pupils to a two-person seat.

The department said work was continuing to maximise the bus capacity by reorganising existing bus routes and redeploying a variety of buses on routes.

The spokesman said parents would be informed at local level as the process was implemented.

Additional investment in the network will see 250 additional mini-buses being hired from the private sector for use on school bus routes, over 130 large buses will be added to the fleet with 50 being used in the up-coming school term.