School Transport deadlines must be extended – Sherlock

Cork East TD Seán Sherlock has said the deadline for payments for concessionary students must be extended beyond this Friday as there is still confusion on how concessionary students will be treated under social distancing guidelines announced by the Government on Monday. 

“An additional package of €11.3 million has been allocated for sanitiser, PPE and cleaning on school buses but not for actual larger buses to accommodate the social distancing,” said Deputy Sherlock.

“In fact, the Minister says it will operate as normal, but with social distancing. The school transport model was not fit for purpose pre-social distancing and is certainly not fit for purpose now. We have countless families left in concessionary limbo with no advice on how they will be treated under social distancing and the deadline for payments is Friday.”

“This deadline must be extended given the mitigating circumstances and frankly, the late nature in the Government giving vague guidelines on the operation of school transport.”

The Government announced on Monday:

School Transport Scheme services operated by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department will fully operate as normal, in line with public health advice, when schools re-open for the 2020/2021 school year.

In planning for normal resumption of school transport services consideration has been taken of the fact that school transport somewhat differs to public transport in that:

• School transport services are controlled environments.
• Each transport service carries the same children on a daily basis to their school of attendance.
• It is a restricted group of transport users which will facilitate contact tracing if required.

Observing hygiene requirements will be a key priority and clear communication to all parents of children or to older students using school transport services will set out the following requirements for those travelling on school transport:

• Not to use school transport if they are displaying symptoms.
• To maintain physical distancing while waiting for transport.
• To always sit in pre-assigned seating and next to a sibling or child from their class group (this should be the same child at all times). 
• To use hand sanitiser on boarding the bus.
• To observe respiratory etiquette at all times while waiting for and on-board transport services.
• To disembark the bus one by one in an orderly fashion; and
• With the exception of those children who for medical or special educational needs reasons are not in a position to wear a facemask or face covering,  all other students travelling on the post-primary scheme are required to wear facemasks while waiting for and on-board transport services.

Additional funding of €11.3 million has been provided as part of the package today to support hygiene, PPE and cleaning requirements.