A Donegal County Councillor has slammed Bus Eireann after a Donegal school was forced to tell parents that the bus operator had no capacity to take their child.
It leaves the student’s family having to make alternative travel arrangements at the eleventh hour after their child was refused a concessionary ticket on the school bus this term.
The student, who lives in Castlefinn, attends Deele College in Raphoe.
Cllr Gary Doherty said the situation was ‘absolutely disgraceful’ and it was ‘no way to treat any child or parent ahead of the return to school’.
He told Donegal Daily: “It leaves the parents in limbo now because some students have already started returning to school this weeks and it gives them a logistical nightmare.
“It is not fair on any student to be treated in this way because the family were to be told that Bus Eireann didn’t have the capacity to take the child from Castlefinn to the school in Raphoe.
“It is totally out of order and absolutely disgraceful,” he added. “I will be making contact with the School Transport Office today (Tues) and I will also be contacting the Minister for Education (Joe McHugh), who has overall responsibility for school transport and I will be outlining to him my utter disgust at this situation.
“That mother had to contact me on Monday evening and no family, a family who are only trying to send their child to school, should ever be treated in this manner.
“We must get to the bottom of this so it does not happen again.”
