Hundreds of children have been left without access to schoolbuses since the start of the academic year, despite paying for tickets earlier this year.
Bus Éireann, which operates school transport on behalf of the Department of Education, has confirmed delays awarding contracts as well as difficulties such as contractors unable to provide vehicles and drivers, or bidders withdrawing their bids for tendered services, have affected a “small number” of services.
It said it has issued a total of 138,000 tickets so far and that about 0.6 per cent – or more than 800 – eligible applicants with tickets have yet to be assigned seats on buses.
Parents from affected areas say they have been forced to scramble to make alternative arrangements at short notice, while some say they have been forced to take time off work.
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The issue is affecting hundreds of families across counties such as Waterford and Westmeath. Some of the largest numbers affected are in rural areas of Co Wicklow, where locals estimate up to dozen bus routes are affected.
Laura Cardiff-Egan, who lives near Laragh, Co Wicklow, lives about 28km away from the secondary school which her two daughters attend in Wicklow town.
She said similar problems last year meant the bus service did not resume until mid-December, which forced the family into a round trip of more than an hour, twice a day.
The lack of a bus service again this year is an “absolute nightmare” for families, especially where both parents are working, she said.
“It’s so difficult trying to balance commuting in and out,” said Ms Cardiff-Egan, who works as a financial controller from 9am to 5.30pm. “There has been no communication, no update. We’re completely disregarded. It puts a huge strain on us, mentally and physically.”
Another parent from the Laragh area with three children, who attend three different schools in Wicklow town and Greystones, said her husband has to reduce his working week by half an hour a day to ensure they can still get to school.
“The impact on our family is significant,” she said. “There are days we spend almost four hours travelling between the three schools, which can result in our youngest – six years old – leaving home at 7.30am and not returning home until 4.30pm.”
Brenda Muldowney, another working parent in the area, said the lack of service is causing “huge time cost and financial cost”.
“It’s two hours which you lose from the working day,” she said. “You don’t get to your desk until 9.30 and you’ve to leave again after 3pm. It means my other daughter at primary school is stuck in the car as well, while I collect my daughter, as I can’t leave her alone.”
Social Democrats TD for Wicklow Jennifer Whitmore said it was unacceptable that the same issues are reoccurring year after year.
“It took months for many schoolbus services to resume last year – some only resumed as late as April – so families now have to go through the whole thing all over again,” she said.
“I don’t understand why it is left to the last minute. In some cases, parents found out on the Friday that there would be no bus service on the Monday, when school reopened. This must be fixed to ensure it doesn’t keep happening.”
In a statement, Bus Éireann said there has been a 30 per cent increase in tendered operating routes this year.
“In a small number of cases there was a delay in awarding of contracts owing in some instances to the implementation of a new procurement process. Bus Éireann is committed to enhancing and improving the process for future tender competitions for all stakeholders,” it said.
It said difficulties have also arisen in some locations where contractors advised that it had not yet been possible to provide vehicles or drivers.
This, it said, was against a backdrop of driver shortages as well as delays owing to successful bidders withdrawing their offer or no bids being received for tendered services.
“The Bus Éireann school transport team is working intensively to ensure transport arrangements are put in place as soon as possible,” it said, adding that it was engaging with families affected and “will continue to communicate directly with them”.
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