Press Release
Immediate Release
11 April 2005
Working together to improve School Transport
Members of Donegal Youth Council and representatives from Bus Eireann and Lough Swilly met on Wednesday 6th April in the County House, Lifford to discuss a number of issues concerning school transport.
This meeting was the first of a number of planned meetings between the Youth Council and the bus companies to address various issues concerning school bus transport in Co. Donegal. These issues included the upgrading of school buses, overcrowding on school buses, the small minority of young people causing vandalism on school buses, three students per seat, the use of seat belts on buses and the parking of school buses on arrival at schools.
Referring to the need to upgrade school buses Connell Diver from the Lough Swilly Bus Company noted that the company will be upgrading a substantial portion of its fleet over the next six months. The members of the Youth Council welcomed this announcement.
Anthony Delap, also from the Lough Swilly Bus company, explained that they are currently spending a large portion of their maintenance budget on vandalism repairs and if this vandalism was reduced they could spend more money of maintaining their buses. The members of the Youth Council acknowledged that a small minority of people who are causing vandalism should not be allowed to get away with it and they agreed to encourage young people to report these incidents to the bus company so as to stamp out vandalism on school buses.
Kevin Kelly from the Inishowen Youth Council stated that “a points or reward system should be brought in for buses and if vandalism was reduced then these young people should be rewarded when it came to bus upgrading”.
Overcrowding on school buses was another concern highlighted by the members of Donegal Youth Council. Speaking on this issue Dean Boyce from the Milford Youth Council said that “the reason students charge towards buses as they arrive at schools is so that they can get a seat”, he added “at the moment there are three students to a seat on some buses”. The youth council members agreed to work with student councils in each school to promote safety issues on buses and to contact the School Transport Working group in the Department of Education to find out what its plans are to reduce overcrowding on school buses and to introduce seat belts on buses.
Speaking after the meeting, Ann McGeever, Youth Council Officer with Donegal County Council said that “this meeting went very well and provided a forum for both the members of the youth council and for the bus companies to exchange their views on school transport”, she added that “this marks the beginning of a process that will led to a more co-operative and productive relationship between the providers of the school bus service and young people using this service.
The Donegal Youth Council is developing a complaints procedures through which students can report any concerns or complaints to bus companies and posters will be distributed to all schools detailing these new procedures. Students are also encouraged to contact their local Youth Councillors with any complaints.
END
For further information contact
Anne Marie Conlon
Communications Officer
Donegal County Council
Tel: 074 91 72574
Mob: 087 919 2275
Email: amconlon@donegalcoco.ie
Or
Anne McGeever
Donegal Youth Council Officer
Donegal County Council
Tel: 074 91 94276
Mob: 087 6038624