Cork students drive tractors to school amid bus controversy

Friends commute 34km in tractors to school in Fermoy each day

This year, 20 children in Glenville failed to secure a bus place since the introduction of free school transport.

Two Cork students have been forced to drive tractors to school after they failed to secure tickets for the school bus.

Friends Donal Sheehan and Ciaran O’Leary have been commuting 34km in their tractors from Glenville to their secondary school in Fermoy every day.

This is the first time in four years Mr Sheehan has failed to secure a bus ticket.

 “I’ve been taking the bus for the last four years, from second year all the way up to fifth year," he said.

This year, due to the buses being free, and the rise in numbers, they just kicked me off, and now I’m stuck driving a tractor in and out, twice a day.

“It’s 34km in and out; it takes a while, and the price of diesel is gone up. It’s heartbreaking to see all of the lads getting the bus for free while I’m paying a lot of money to get in and out.” 

Ciaran O’Leary told Virgin Media News he has no other choice as his parents are tied up with work. 

“It is a bit embarrassing that I have to drive a tractor to school, but I have to do it, if I don’t, I’ve no way to school," he said.

A number of parents in Glenville have expressed concern, especially in regard to the rising price of fuel.

“It’s costing nearly €50,000 collectively for all of us to drive from Glenville to Fermoy. The price of diesel is rising," said Niamh Kelleher.

Denis O’Leary said he feels Education Minister Norma Foley should be held accountable. “It’s a total disgrace at the moment. Norma Foley should have fierce questions to answer.

“She hadn’t her homework done on this when she released the buses for free,” he said.

This year, 20 children in Glenville failed to secure a place on the bus since the introduction of free school transport.

Ms Foley appeared before the Education Committee yesterday, when she told members she was aware of the “difficulties” and “frustrations” that families were feeling.

Education Minister Norma Foley said she was trying to see if there was 'scope' for additional funding to provide more pupils with free school transport. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins Photos

She said she was trying to see if there was “scope” for additional funding from the Department of Expenditure in the upcoming budget to provide more pupils with free school transport.

“In the context of the upcoming budget, I am in discussions with Minister [Michael] McGrath to see if there is potential for that particular cohort who have been 'concessions' previously and where there was capacity, that we may have an opportunity in the context of the budget to do something there,” she said.

Ms Foley defended the free school transport measure, saying it had been introduced as a consequence of an “unprecedented cost-of-living challenge” and that €300m was being spent on school transport, up €40m on last year.

Capacity increased

She said capacity on the school transport system had increased by 21% this year.

About 124,000 pupils are using school buses, up from 103,000 last year.

Back in July, Ms Foley announced that school transport fees would be waived, given the cost-of-living crisis.

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

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 be attending, their nearest school.

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

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