Bus escorts left out of pocket by school transport rules, says Cork TD

The Department of Education provides grant funding directly to the school for the employment of the school transport escort and sets the rate of pay.

School transport escort payment arrangements — which can leave escorts travelling significant distances each week without compensation in order to accompany children with additional needs on buses and taxis — should be reviewed.

That is according to Fianna Fáil TD for Cork North Central Pádraig O'Sullivan, who has called on the Department of Education to review the current policy to ensure bus escorts are fairly compensated for their work.

Currently, school bus or taxi escorts are considered to start their working day when the first child who requires assistance boards the service, and finished when the last child who requires assistance is dropped home.

"It's very loose and it can be entirely dependent on the escorts' own scenario," Mr O'Sullivan said.

In Cork, for example, most special schools are located in the city. 

"Let's say the bus escort is from Glanmire or Watergrasshill and the first child is being picked up in Fermoy," said Mr O'Sullivan. 

"You're either making an accommodation to meet the bus driver at the first person's house or leaving your car on a country road or in a village. 

"It's a bit onerous to ask someone to leave their car on the side of a road, or to get on a bus earlier but then not get paid for it."

"For the job that they do, the scheme should show them a bit more respect."

Mr O'Sullivan said this aspect of the scheme needs to be reviewed, especially considering the difficulties schools often face when trying to recruit bus escorts.

"I've lost count of the times school principals would be reaching out to people to see if they would do this job," he said. 

"I would get a handful of these cases each year where school transport will be sanctioned but because they can't source a driver or a bus escort, the poor child at the centre will be left without a bus. 

"It's not necessarily a budget issue, its that you can't get a bus driver, or a taxi, or an escort."

In a recent parliamentary question, Mr O'Sullivan raised the issued with minister of State for special education Michael Moynihan. 

Mr Moynihan confirmed home pickups for school transport escorts are not a feature of the scheme. 

"The escort can meet the service at the pick-up point of the first child requiring assistance on the service. 

"Local arrangements between driver and escort as to pick-up points can be accommodated upon mutual agreement. 

"However, any deviation of the route is not funded by the department." 

The Department of Education provides grant funding directly to the school for the employment of the school transport escort and sets the rate of pay, said Mr Moynihan. 

"This grant funding is paid in advance of the upcoming year so that schools have the funds available to pay school bus escorts."