Brian Stanley urges raising driver age limit to 75 for school transport
Brian Stanley criticised the operation of the school transport scheme and called for extending the upper age limit for drivers to 75. He warned that administrative failings and a driver shortage will prevent planned expansion of the scheme unless changes are made.
Brian Stanley said TDs' offices are inundated from July with school transport problems, highlighting an automated system in Bucerin that prevents callers from reaching a human being. He said emails return the same replies and cannot resolve issues such as route changes that force pupils to walk long distances, citing problems in the Jamestown area and Jamestown Valley British area.
He described illogical catchment boundaries in small communities, giving the example of the village of Boris Nostri where the main street is split and neighbouring households send children to different schools despite proximity. He argued there must be a level of flexibility in catchment decisions, while acknowledging some limits to flexibility.
Referencing a review that plans to expand the scheme by another 100,000 pupils, Brian Stanley warned there are not enough drivers to deliver that expansion. He said the role is often a three-hour-a-day job that suits some pensioners and proposed extending the permitted driving age to 75, subject to strict medical testing for those over 70. He noted that many older drivers currently work on coaches but face restrictions on school transport roles.
He said he has raised the issue with the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Minister for Transport and that the Minister of State indicated bus airing are putting the brakes on change. Brian Stanley urged the Minister in the Department of Education and officials to provide an answer, warning the expansion cannot proceed on paper alone without operators and drivers in place.
Administrative problems with the school transport scheme
Brian Stanley said TDs' offices are inundated from July with school transport problems, highlighting an automated system in Bucerin that prevents callers from reaching a human being. He said emails return the same replies and cannot resolve issues such as route changes that force pupils to walk long distances, citing problems in the Jamestown area and Jamestown Valley British area.
Catchment area anomalies and need for flexibility
He described illogical catchment boundaries in small communities, giving the example of the village of Boris Nostri where the main street is split and neighbouring households send children to different schools despite proximity. He argued there must be a level of flexibility in catchment decisions, while acknowledging some limits to flexibility.
Driver shortages and proposal to raise the age limit
Referencing a review that plans to expand the scheme by another 100,000 pupils, Brian Stanley warned there are not enough drivers to deliver that expansion. He said the role is often a three-hour-a-day job that suits some pensioners and proposed extending the permitted driving age to 75, subject to strict medical testing for those over 70. He noted that many older drivers currently work on coaches but face restrictions on school transport roles.
State contractors, bus operators and calls for a response
He said he has raised the issue with the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Minister for Transport and that the Minister of State indicated bus airing are putting the brakes on change. Brian Stanley urged the Minister in the Department of Education and officials to provide an answer, warning the expansion cannot proceed on paper alone without operators and drivers in place.
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Transcript
Minister, it is a cyclical problem at this time of the year. From July on, TD's offices get bombarded with problems regarding school transport. I am sure my situation is no different than the rest of you here in this House. A number of problems arise with the schemes. One of the main problems is that you cannot get talking to a human being in Bucerin. That is one of the problems. There is an automated system, and that is fine. When that works, it works, and it works well, generally. The problem is when there is an issue that arises, the computer cannot make a change, and just sometimes you need to talk to a person. While there is an E-mail, that does not do it. The same reply keeps bouncing back the whole time. Some of the problems arise in relation to routes being changed, people having to go two miles before they actually get to the pick-up point. We had this in the Jamestown area, Jamestown Valley British area, and then other problems arise with the scheme. There needs to be human contact. Other problems arise in relation to catchment areas. I understand there has to be a catchment area, but the village of Boris Nostri is split in two halves. Small village of about five or six hundred people. The main street is split in half. Fifty yards of a gap. The children in this household go to St. Ferguson and Rathdowney. The children in this house, 50 yards up the road, they go to Rosgrave, despite the fact that they went to the one school. There is no logic there to that, and there needs to be a level of flexibility. You can only have so much flexibility, and I understand that. I am not arguing for absolute flexibility. That needs to be addressed. The other issue I want to raise with you, and it is in the context of, you know, the programme for government, and the review shows, and the Reddit review, that you know, you are going to expand it to another 100,000 pupils. I welcome that. Okay? But you are not going to have the drivers. Now I have been raising this over and over again. I have raised it, you know, you have over 70s who are sitting at home today who could be driving buses. It is not economically viable for those under 65 to do it generally. Why? Because it is a three hour a day job, but it suits somebody on a pension. Right? I know that we can't have people driving buses who have a dicky heart or dodgy eyesight. I get all of that. That is no problem. Right? I have a HGV licence, I have to go to a test every year for the medical test, every so many years for that. And that is right that I should do it, to keep the HGV licence. But to have a situation where they can't drive a a child in a taxi as part of the scheme for bus airing, or 10 children in a minibus. But yet they are driving. A lot of these drivers are driving coaches. I know them. Friends of mine who are driving coaches with 50, 60 and 70 passengers on board during the day, but they can't drive the school bus. People who are 71, 72 years of age, it needs to be extended to 75. I would make that proposal to you. Bus airing, I have raised this with the Taoiseach, with the Tawniste, with the Minister for Transport, I am raising them with you. They all seem to agree with me that this needs to change. My understanding from the Minister of State, Sean Kenny, when I spoke to him about it, outside the Dáil here one day, just before the break, and I don't want to misrepresent him, but what he indicated to me is there is a problem with bus airing. Bus airing are putting the brakes on this. This needs to be resolved. This is a State contractor getting taxpayers' money. I know they need safe drivers. I understand that. But if you are going to, if you are going to, you don't have the drivers at the moment to cover the scheme that we have. I am telling you, bus operators are telling me, and I am sure it is happening across the country, that they cannot get the drivers. We need to sort out that and have a strict medical test for those over 70, and if you pass the test, you pass the test, you are fit to drive. We cannot continue to ignore this problem, and I would implore any Minister, as Minister in the Department of Education and your officials here today, to come back with an answer regarding this. This cannot be put off on the never-never. You will not be able to expand this scheme. You can put it on paper, that is going to be expanded, but you will not have the operators, and you will not have the drivers, and I am saying that to be helpful. We need to sort this. Thank you.