BUS Éireann has been urged to remove the cut off age of 70 for school bus drivers to ensure all children can get to school when the new term begins next week, according to Fine Gael TD John Paul O’Shea.
Deputy O’Shea said that every year he receives the same phone calls across his constituency about the shortage of bus drivers and pointed out that Bus Éireann now must see that qualified, experienced, over 70 drivers should be allowed to drive school buses.
‘There are many qualified bus drives around Ireland who are currently ruled out under the School Transport Scheme because of their age who would be more than happy to keep driving,’ said the Cork North West TD.
‘This rule doesn’t apply to those driving private buses, where someone over the age of 70 can drive children to a match or concert but they can’t be hired to driver children to school every day.’
He added that road safety will always be the guiding principle when it comes to the transport of school children and teenagers but that experienced and medically fit drivers shouldn’t be excluded simply because of their age.
‘Families across the country are worried about whether they can get a place for their child on a school bus for September. A reversal of this policy won’t solve all capacity issues but it could be a key part of addressing this. We need a practical and safe resolution to this issue that will put families across the country at ease as schools return.’
Deputy O’Shea added that the Programme for Government commits to carry out an independent assessment on the feasibility of removing the exclusion of drivers aged over 70 from the School Transport Scheme.
‘We need this assessment carried out so we can find the best way to increase the age requirement,’ he insisted.
Last October, The Southern Star spoke to Bandon-based bus driver Donal O’Leary, who described Bus Éireann’s policy as ‘ageist’ as he turned 70 in January of this year.
A Bus Éireann spokesperson said at the time that their decision to operate the scheme with drivers up to age 70 is ‘grounded in the best safety interests of our customers including young children, our drivers and other road users’.
‘In acting in the best interest of the safe operation of the School Transport Scheme, we have also reviewed external studies which show how the risk of collision is increased for drivers of large vehicles over the age of 70.’
