Cork students booted off school bus for not having concessionary tickets

Parents dropped their children off for the bus to school, then they received phone call that they were asked to get off the bus, a councillor said. Picture: Denis Minihane

A group of North Cork students was removed from a school bus on Tuesday morning for not having valid concessionary tickets.

The students from Shanballymore, Glenville, Glanworth, and Kildorrery were on their way to secondary schools in Mitchelstown when an inspector boarded the bus and asked them to leave.

Frustrated parents were then forced to make alternative arrangements to get their children from Kildorrery — where they were dropped off — to Mitchelstown for school.

North Cork Councillor Frank O’Flynn was horrified by the incident.

Cllr Frank O'Flynn was speaking on C103's 'Cork Today' show. Picture: Dan Linehan

Speaking to Patricia Messinger on C103's Cork Today show, Mr O’Flynn said: “We’ve up to 25 students who still have no ticket and yesterday morning, they were asked to get off the bus and were left there.

“Parents dropped them off thinking they would be on the bus, then they received phone calls.

“Some were at work, they had to organise neighbours and friends to take those children into Mitchelstown and they had to organise transport again to bring them back home,” he said.

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In July, Education Minister Norma Foley announced that school transport fees would be waived given the current cost-of-living crisis.

Since then, an unprecedented number of applications have been made to the School Transport Scheme, which is managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education.

West Cork Independent Councillor Declan Hurley also appeared on C103 this morning to discuss the issue.

He explained that families who received concessionary tickets in the past, were not granted them this year.

“They are hoping they are on the way,” he said.

Cllr Declan Hurley said 22 students currently have been refused concessionary tickets in the village near where he is living. Picture: Brian Lougheed

“We are hearing that applications are still being processed but we are coming to the end of September and families need to know.

“They have to put measures in place to deal with this fiasco,” Mr Hurley said.

Under the current terms of the school transport scheme, children are eligible for transport when they live further than 3.2km from and are attending their nearest school.

At post-primary, students must reside no less than 4.8km from, and are attending, their nearest school.

Any students who do not meet these criteria are deemed not eligible and known as concessionary applicants.

Concessionary applicants are allocated a ticket based on the availability of a seat on when all eligible children have been catered for.

“In the little village close to where I am living in West Cork, 22 students currently have been refused concessionary tickets because of where they’re living — the school that they are going to isn’t identified on the route as their closest school,” councillor Hurley said.

“One family I know, have three kids going to secondary school, two kids have bus passes and the third hasn’t.

“They are still waiting and hoping they are going to get it.

“That parent has to sit into the car and follow the bus to school to drop off the third child — it makes no sense whatsoever,” he said.

Despite the chaos, Frank O’Flynn welcomes the decision the waive the fees.

“It wasn’t the wrong decision to waive the fees this year, I welcomed that,” he said.

“The wrong decision was that children who previously had tickets, should have held onto their tickets.

“They took tickets off children who had them for many years, for no reason, and with no explanation.

“To put children off a bus on the side of the road, in this day and age, is an absolute disgrace.

“I’m asking the minister, I’m asking Bus Éireann and I’m asking the Department of Education, for God’s sake, stop this now!

“People are very worried and very stressed,” he said.

Mr Hurley blamed the department and the minister and called for an overhaul of the system.

He said: “What we have here is a monumental cockup by the department and the minister.

“Other public reps, year after year, have been calling for a severe overhaul of the school transport system.

“It was put together back in the 1970s, it is outdated, it is not working, it is not fit for purpose.

“I think it’s inhumane, when families are stressed through the roof with anxiety and worry about the cost of living, and now to be getting phone calls saying the inspector has thrown me off the bus.

There should be some compassion shown to families.

“I’m hoping today when the Government resumes, that the minister will come out of hiding,” he concluded.

Bus Éireann has highlighted the demand for the school transport scheme this year.

In a statement it said: “There has been an unprecedented demand for the school transport scheme this year. To date, Bus Éireann school transport offices across Ireland have issued 124,000 tickets for mainstream school transport. 

"In Co Cork, Bus Éireann has to date issued more than 15,200 tickets, an increase of 6% on last year’s figures. For evident safety reasons, only students with a valid ticket are permitted to travel on school transport services. Places on board are allocated to students following the eligibility criteria of the school transport scheme.”