Parents of up to 1,000 first-year students starting at schools outside their local catchment boundary area are facing continued uncertainty about whether their children will be allocated a school-bus place this year, it has emerged.
As secondary students return to school this week, the Department of Education has confirmed that although these "catchment-boundary" students will be allocated a seat where available, priority will be given to existing students in exam years, followed by other existing students.
This has prompted concerns that an estimated 1,000 first-year students - who might have expected to gain a seat under the old "three-for-two" seating arrangement - may lose out.
This is because any extra capacity is less likely to be allocated to them than to existing catchment-boundary pupils.
Catchment-boundary students, as well as other students who live close to their school, are not automatically entitled to a school-bus place, unlike other "eligible" students.
A spokeswoman for Bus Éireann yesterday acknowledged that some new catchment boundary students will be disappointed when it comes to the allocation of places.
While she expressed confidence that a "good proportion" of the students in question could be accommodated, she said exact figures were not yet available.
This was partly due to delays in the number of eligible students returning the necessary forms and the accompanying payment.
A spokeswoman for the department also said she was unable to say how many first-year catchment-boundary students will be unable to gain a place on a bus this year.
However she stressed that they would be facilitated where seats were available, once eligible students and existing catchment-boundary students have been allocated places.
However, sources yesterday confirmed that as many as 1,000 first-year catchment-boundary students who might have expected to obtain a school bus place under the old system may not now get such a place.
Around 1,800 new catchment-boundary and other "concessionary" students who live near their school are understood to have applied for a school-bus place this year.
However this figure is also thought to include those transferring from other schools, as well as other students only applying "speculatively" for a school-bus place.
Ordinarily, between 900 and 1,000 first-year catchment-boundary students are carried on school buses every year.
Last week, the department moved to ensure that some 6,000 existing catchment-boundary students will be provided with seats, despite the fact that they are not automatically eligible.
This followed widespread concern that a decision to phase out the previous three-for-two seating arrangements would mean these students - who are allocated seats only where they are available - would no longer obtain a seat on their school bus.
This meant many parents faced the prospect of paying for private bus hire to bring their children to school - or moving them to schools within their local catchment area.
Significant extra capacity is expected to be created from the phased introduction of new buses to allow for the elimination of the three-for-two rule.
School-bus dispute: news round-up
Limerick
Parents in Co Limerick are planning a "go slow" protest today if a solution has not been found to the school-bus crisis, writes Karl Hanlon.
More than 35 students starting first year at the Salesian College in Pallaskenry were unable to find bus places yesterday because they didn't have concessionary transport tickets. Most of the affected students, who live on the outskirts of Limerick city, were driven by their parents up to nine miles to school.
These children were told they were not entitled to a ticket because they live outside the catchment area. It is understood Minister Willie O'Dea was to meet with Taoiseach Bertie Ahern yesterday to try to work out a solution.
Parents warned their go slow would proceed this morning if a resolution had not been found. They said they would drive in convoy at 5mph ahead of the school bus from Mungret Church to the Salesian College in Pallaskenry.
Galway
Bus Éireann has confirmed that a dispute with private bus operators in Kinvara and Gort has been resolved.
The operators in question are understood to have been seeking increases of up to 30 per cent, and had declined to sign new contracts.
The spokeswoman said the operators had yesterday signed contracts which were "within agreed terms". While these vary, the average increase allowed for under this formula is 4.5 per cent.
Sligo
Only one of seven children attending a special needs school outside Sligo attended classes yesterday as the dispute between private bus operators and Bus Éireann continued in the region, writes Marese McDonagh.
With most schools due to reopen tomorrow, up to 30 private operators running 50 buses will attend a meeting in Sligo tonight to decide on whether to continue the protest. The bus operators are demanding a 15 per cent pay increase and described the 4 per cent offer from Bus Éireann as unacceptable given the soaring cost of fuel.