‘Enormous frustration’ among Waterford parents over ‘school bus chaos’
Waterford TD Conor McGuinness made the comments following an online public meeting on the subject
There is “enormous frustration” among parents in County Waterford over “school bus chaos” locally, a Sinn Féin TD has said.
Waterford TD Conor McGuinness made the comments following an online public meeting on the subject of school transport.
Deputy McGuinness said: “There is enormous frustration among parents.
“Families are dealing with uncertainty, inconsistency and poor communication at a time when they should be looking forward to the new school year.
“Instead, many still do not know how their children will get to school.”
He outlined just how widespread the problems are with school transport across the county.
“I am currently working with scores of parents across Waterford who have contacted me seeking help.
“The problems are widespread, with recurring issues affecting communities including Ardmore and Grange, Ballymacarbry, the Lismore and Blackwater Valley area, Kilrossanty and parts of Butlerstown to Dunhill.”
Deputy McGuinness continued by outlining the reasons for the issues facing parents and children alike.
“In many cases, these problems come down to a lack of resources, with insufficient buses or capacity available.
“In others, there is a clear level of mismanagement. Whatever the cause, the result is the same: every year families are forced to endure the same chaos, uncertainty and frustration.”
He went on to say that he is engaging directly with Bus Éireann on individual cases while raising the wider issues with the relevant ministers.
“I have long championed improvements to school transport and have successfully campaigned for additional services and capacity in Waterford.
“While those interventions have helped individual communities, they have not addressed the systemic failures at the heart of the scheme.
“The Government commissioned a comprehensive review of the School Transport Scheme in 2024, yet many of its recommendations remain unimplemented.”
He concluded by saying that whilst parents were “promised reform”, they are instead facing “the same annual chaos”.