Mayo councillor calls on minister to address school bus transport issues

AONTÚ Councillor Paul Lawless is calling on Mayo County Council to invite the Minister for Education, Norma Foley, to attend a special meeting to address the persistent school bus transport issues affecting families across the county.

Councillor Lawless has tabled a motion for this afternoon's (Monday) council meeting, stressing that this long-running problem requires urgent attention.

Commenting on the situation, Councillor Lawless said: “This issue has been going on for far too long. Many students are left without transport to school while half-empty buses pass by, causing major difficulties for families. It’s unacceptable, and ultimately Norma Foley has to be made accountable for this fiasco.”

He highlighted the strain the situation is placing on parents, many of whom are being forced to rearrange their work commitments to personally transport their children to school.

“I know one family who had a bus ticket for each of the last five years, but this year have lost their ticket. Hundreds of families are in a similar situation in Mayo,” Councillor Lawless explained.

He also criticised the lack of meaningful engagement from Bus Éireann and the Department of Education:

“Bus Éireann and the Department of Education have refused to engage meaningfully with families, leaving them waiting for hours on hold and failing to reply to their correspondence,” he said.

Councillor Lawless expressed his frustration at the ongoing situation, noting that it occurs year after year without any accountability or proper planning: “This happens year after year, and the minister is not held accountable. It’s incredible - there’s no planning, no joined-up thinking whatsoever.”

Calling on the minister to address the issue, he said: “It’s high time the minister answered questions on this issue, which is causing such upheaval in the lives of people who are just trying to get their children to school.”