Delvin parents make case for school bus route to Mullingar

Kate Pendred

Parents in the greater Delvin area are fed up of paying 10 times more than those on public school buses to get their children to school. They have decided to bombard public representatives, ministers and all involved in the school transport scheme with emails and phone calls demanding a public school bus service between Delvin and Mullingar.

At a well-attended public meeting in the Handball Alley last Friday evening, parents vented their rage at the continued lack of a public school bus, their anger having been further fuelled by increased their fees and an altered pricing structure.

Catherine Clune, who organised the meeting, has two children using a local bus service. She now has to pay €2,208 a year, €15 a week more than last year, and she can no longer pay weekly; instead she has to pay €736 before the start of each term.

If her children were on the public school transport scheme, she would have to pay €200 for the year; if she had more than two children using the service ,the fee would be capped at €220. Medical Card holders pay nothing.

Ms Clune pointed out that for years parents have been applying for a public school bus ticket via the ‘Bus Éireann School Transport’ online portal, to highlight the demand for a school bus in the area. Each year, they have been refused because children are not attending their nearest post primary school.

A School Transport review was carried out, but as they wait for it to be implemented, families face another year with the additional financial burden of paying for a private bus service.

The meeting heard that there are 77 children in the Delvin area alone that require a bus to take them to post primary schools in Mullingar. “For years, families in Delvin and Collinstown have faced barriers to accessing the schools that best support their children. The ‘nearest school rule’ has limited choice, created financial pressure and forced parents into decisions driven by transport rather than education,” Ms Clune stated.

One member of the audience suggested that parents could offer to pay the €100 per child for next year in advance, as an extra show of commitment.

A woman from Clonmellon said that at least 12 families have to drive from Clonmellon to Delvin to get the private bus.

She and her husband both work in Kells and it would be an enormous help to them if the bus route could start from Clonmellon.

It was pointed out that it would be significantly cheaper for students to use the public transport system, at €3.20 a day, but the bus routes and schedules do not suit. It was suggested that Bus Éireann might review its schedules and routes to rectify that.

Local county councillors David Jones and Niall Gaffney, along with Deputy Sorcha Clarke, attended the meeting and promised their full backing to the campaign. There were apologies from Minister Peter Burke, TD, and Minster of State, Robert Troy, TD.

Cllr Jones recalled that a pilot programme was introduced to take children from Killucan, Kinnegad, Raharney, Clonard and Mullingar to school in Rochfortbridge. “When the bus route was put on between Killucan and Rochfortbridge, the politicians took credit for it. Let’s email them to do the same for Delvin to Mullingar,” he urged.

Cllr Gaffney said the personal touch was needed. He proposed that a signed petition and a letter outlining what it is costing parents to get their children to school be submitted to all the relevant parties.

“This is something we are all crying out for,” he said, adding that “the Mullingar Kinnegad Municipal District recently voted unanimously to write to the department to get this changed”.

Deputy Clarke warned “you aren’t getting a bus unless the scheme changes and unless funds are provided”.

“You need to get on to those that hold the purse strings,” she said, adding that she would do what she could to help.

The Sinn Féin TD described the “eligibility criteria” as “archaic” and said they should be changed to take account of people’s lives.

It was agreed that a petition and a centralised letter of commitment be compiled highlighting the need for a public school bus in the area and submitted to politicians and ministers.

In the coming week, parents will get email addresses and phone numbers for all those to be contacted. They are asked to email them and to follow up with phone calls clearly demanding a publicly funded school bus under the School Transport Scheme. In addition, parents, grandparents, students and all those affected by the lack of a public bus service will be asked to sign a petition.

NOTE FROM CLLR DAVID JONES

Reminder

Petition available this evening. Please come and sign.

There will be a petition available to sign this Thursday at Delvin Courtyard beside the handball alley to call for the pilot programme for this route and adjustment to the bus eireann timetable

As discussed at last week's meeting, the petition will be presented to all relevant ministers. If you can turn up to sign, I will be there 8.30-9.15pm on July 16.