School Transport Scheme

m'lady · 09-05-2014 11:43am #1

Hi all..

Just wondering if anybody knows much about this. I sent my daughter to the nearest all girls school which is a bus journey away, there is a mixed school in our town but for a few reasons I sent her to the all girls school.

Anyhow I understand that a few parents are getting a concession under the scheme which I can only believe is the 'discretionary' reasons that Bus eireann mention on their website as there would be no other reason for them to be able to avail of it. I don't know these parents well enough to ask how they managed to get it.

Could anybody here be able to advise me under what reasons a child may get approved for this? I'm spending around €100 a month which isn't too bad but it would be great if I could get a yearly pass for her!

silly · 09-05-2014 11:50am

Is it a bus eireann bus your daughter is getting?

My daughter gets a bus eireann bus to school - it HAS to be the school closest to your home - they will come out and measure if they need to. They did this to me, and i almost had to send my daughter to a school where the nearest stop was miles further than the school i wanted to send her to - thankfully we were closer to the school we wanted - but if we werent - she would only be aloud get the bus to our prefered school if there was a space on the bus - and i think it might have been more than the 350 a year that I pay for the bus.

This new law of only taking kids to their nearest school is completely ridiculus, i know a family where one daughter (pre rule change) gets the bus to school from her front door. while her younger sister, goes on a private bus to the same school, because, even though the bus passes their door, its not her nearest school....

silly · 09-05-2014 11:52am

Oh and also if you have a medical card you either dont have to pay - or it is less than normal price - so that might be it.

m'lady · 09-05-2014 1:50pm

Thanks for the replies so far. Yes it's Bus eireann she gets her bus with.

I know they say it has to be the nearest school but they are being given for discretionary reasons too, I am guessing it could be on religious grounds perhaps?

Even those that have a medical card will not get on the scheme unless it's the nearest school, which is ridiculous. I chose a school for her that's the nearest all girls school to us but that makes no difference either!

silly · 09-05-2014 5:27pm

I know its a stupid system alright, cant understand how you are paying 100euro a month though! mine was 350 for the year!

m'lady · 09-05-2014 7:56pm

silly wrote: »

I know its a stupid system alright, cant understand how you are paying 100euro a month though! mine was 350 for the year!

The €350 is when your under the transport scheme, which is what I'm asking about..

silly · 13-05-2014 1:59pm

m'lady wrote: »

The €350 is when your under the transport scheme, which is what I'm asking about..

Oh i'm not too sure so.
It might be the area you are living? I never did anything to get anything different bus wise, I just get the letter and pay it!
Have you ring them to ask them?

silly · 15-05-2014 12:52pm

How far are you from the school?
I think you are only entitled to bus scheme if you are further than 5km* from school.

* not sure of actual distance, you should be able to find out by ringing them

m'lady · 15-05-2014 6:34pm

Thanks for the replies so far..

I've been told I'm not entitled as she's not going to the nearest school to us as I choose to send her to an all girls school and not the mixed beside us. The only was I'd be entitled to it is under discretionary reasons.

We are about 20km away from the school.

miss no stars · 18-05-2014 7:15pm

It doesn't have to be the nearest school, it's available for any school if the nearest school is over a certain distance away. So unless you have a compelling reason why she could not attend the school nearer to her, within what is deemed a normal distance to school, you don't get to avail of the scheme. The nearest school my brother could go to was about 500m down the road from the one I went to. The one I went to was too close to qualify, but the other one being that extra 500m away meant it was outside the limit and he could avail of the scheme even though he went to a different school further away.

m'lady · 18-05-2014 7:58pm

miss no stars wrote: »

It doesn't have to be the nearest school, it's available for any school if the nearest school is over a certain distance away. So unless you have a compelling reason why she could not attend the school nearer to her, within what is deemed a normal distance to school, you don't get to avail of the scheme. The nearest school my brother could go to was about 500m down the road from the one I went to. The one I went to was too close to qualify, but the other one being that extra 500m away meant it was outside the limit and he could avail of the scheme even though he went to a different school further away.

Thanks for your reply. That is my question- as in what are these compelling reasons? I chose to send my daughter to an all girls school and not the mixed school that is beside us as it had a bad name.

miss no stars · 18-05-2014 8:43pm

m'lady wrote: »

Thanks for your reply. That is my question- as in what are these compelling reasons? I chose to send my daughter to an all girls school and not the mixed school that is beside us as it had a bad name.

Not a compelling reason. Well, it is for you for obvious reasons! But as far as the state is concerned, it has catered for your daughter already by providing a school within a reasonable distance. If it hadn't provided a school within reasonable distance it would cater for your daughter by subsidizing her travel...

Religious grounds might be a good reason, as might documented bullying during primary school and needing to break from that group. Possibly the school being full and having no choice?

Though tbh, I don't know for certain. I do know that my brother was refused it first and then granted it after my dad measured the distance along the most direct route with the car and showed it was over the distance threshold. I also know that our neighbour who actually lives about 100m further from the nearest school was denied it, although he went to a private school. So honestly, I've no idea, it seems a bit hit and miss.

Best thing would be to ask the parents of the kids who did get it, just say something like "gosh I'm having awful trouble, the school said we should qualify but I keep getting rejected, did you have to send in anything to support your application?". I don't know what else you can do.

prq · 27-05-2014 12:19am

Where can more information about this bus scheme be found, please?

m'lady · 27-05-2014 1:09am

prq wrote: »

Where can more information about this bus scheme be found, please?

I can't post a link as I'm on my phone but if you look up buseireann website you will see 'school transport scheme'.

prq · 27-05-2014 8:55am

m'lady wrote: »

I can't post a link as I'm on my phone but if you look up buseireann website you will see 'school transport scheme'.

Thanks!

sadie06 · 27-05-2014 6:30pm

Sorry to jump in, but my children will not be attending the nearest secondary school, but instead the nearest Gael Choláiste (5.6 km) as they have done their primary education through Irish. Do you think that is a compelling enough reason to be eligible for the scheme?

cbyrd · 27-05-2014 7:33pm

Going to the Gael Scoil, you'll be covered under the scheme. My daughter goes to a gaelscoil about 15kms away and i'm in the middle of the town with about 5 schools she could atten. Its €350 for the year but as i have a medical card its covered under that.

sadie06 · 27-05-2014 9:01pm

Thanks for that info. :-)

Giles74 · 27-06-2014 4:00pm

Hi all
Does any know if there are any school buses going from Robinstown to Navan?
Thanks

School Transport Scheme

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