Galway parents face school year without transport for over 30 children

More than 30 children in County Galway are set to begin the new school year without school transport, prompting parents to appeal for urgent intervention from the Minister for Education. The School Transport Scheme, managed by Bus Éireann for the Department of Education, is experiencing rising demand, with a 50% increase in participation since 2019, serving over 181,000 children in 2025.

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We wouldn't get in based on the feeder school system, so we applied to the schools whereby the Clarinbridge schools were feeder schools.

Despite the surge in demand, the scheme's rules have remained largely static. A key requirement is that children must attend their nearest school. Generally, children are eligible if they live at least 3.2km from their nearest national school or 4.8km from their nearest post-primary school. However, if places are unavailable in that designated nearest school, families often struggle to secure a bus seat, sometimes relying on concessionary places which are allocated uncertainly.

In Clarinbridge, the situation is particularly acute. Caroline O'Laochdha's son, Rian, will start first year at Presentation College in Athenry, 13km away, but will not have bus transport. The family applied for a ticket but was denied because they live closer to Calasanctius College in Oranmore. However, they could not secure a place at Oranmore due to its oversubscription and feeder-school admissions policy.

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So we're in a little bit of predicament at the moment. We've two younger kids that we've to drive to a country school in Killeeneen and then we have to bring them to Athenry.

"We wouldn't get in based on the feeder school system, so we applied to the schools whereby the Clarinbridge schools were feeder schools," Ms. O'Laochdha explained. This leaves her family in a difficult predicament, as they must drive two younger children to a school in Killeeneen and then transport Rian to Athenry. Both parents work full-time and also care for an elderly relative with dementia, adding significant stress to their daily logistics.

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We haven't retold our son yet, I think he thinks he's going on the bus, to be honest. We've kind of said there's a little bit of trouble with it and we'll find a way to get him there.

Tracey McHugh, a mother of triplets starting secondary school in Athenry, faces a similar challenge. She believes her chances of securing three bus places are slim, highlighting the widespread difficulty families are experiencing in accessing essential school transport.

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It's stressful. I started a new job on Monday and one of the first discussions that I had with my line manager was, I've got a problem.