Mizen pupils have no bus to get to school

PARENTS of several primary school going children from the Mizen Peninsula are calling on Bus Éireann to provide a bus route to bring their children to Goleen National School.

Despite being eligible for a bus service as they all live more than 5km away from the school, these parents are having to drive their children to and from school every day causing huge inconvenience to them.

Speaking to The Southern Star, frustrated mum-of-two Joanne Ungerer from Three Castle Head, said it’s ‘ridiculous’ that a bus route hasn’t been approved by Bus Éireann yet.

‘As far as we know there are 14 students from across the Mizen Peninsula who qualify to be on a bus route but nothing is happening to ensure we get one,’ said Joanne.

‘I’m having to travel 60km a day, five days a week to bring my children, Felicity and Ciarán to and from school. I have to go back at 2pm to collect Ciarán and if the weather is bad I have drop him back home and go back in to collect Felicity at 3pm.’

Joanne said that everyone who applied for a bus ticket last February lives more than 5km from the school and they were all more than willing to pay for bus tickets even before the free school bus transport was announced in July.

‘Now we’re being left on the back burner and most of us are in and around the Mizen Peninsula.

‘What’s worse is that I can’t get through to speak to anyone in Bus Éireann and had to go through Deputy Holly Cairns’ office to get any headway. Only for Tara in the office we wouldn’t have been able to get any response.’

It appears that once there are more than 10 applicants for a bus route, officials send out an inspector to measure the route and drive around to ensure each applicant is more than 5km away from the school.

‘There are 14 children looking for a bus and their parents are working too, and it’s becoming a real inconvenience. We try to car pool too but sometimes that doesn’t always work.’

SD Deputy Holly Cairns said that it’s ‘disgraceful’ that Bus Éireann has not arranged this route and her and her colleague Cllr Ross O’Connell are continuing to push this issue with Bus Éireann.

A Bus Éireann spokesperson said that school transport services in the Goleen area are still under assessment by the local office and they will be in contact with families as soon as an update is available.