Bus row over transporting special needs students
Bus Éireann has taken a private bus operator off a West Cork school route today following confusion over the transport of students with special needs.
The company said another contractor will operate the service today to ensure “continuity of service” pending a resolution.
It comes after Kinsale Executive Travel sought clarification on whether children with special needs should be accompanied on the mainstream bus service by an escort or special needs assistance (SNA).
The father of a young student with Down Syndrome, who got her place through the school transport process and not through the National Council for Special Education process, said he had been told late on Tuesday that she could not take the bus without an escort.
Kinsale Executive Travel, which operates 16 bus services in Cork on which children and adults with special needs travel daily, said escorts or SNAs accompany these passengers and when it became aware that children with special needs would be on the West Cork bus route, its request for an escort or SNA for the pupils was declined by Bus Éireann, which “referenced a change in policy”.
It said it asked for clarification on the “change” which “would potentially have implications for drivers and passenger safety” but had not received any clarification by Tuesday.
However, Bus Éireann insisted there has been no change in policy and that it is working to resolve the issue.
In a statement last night, Kinsale Executive Travel said it has never “raised an objection” to a child or adult with special needs travelling on any of its bus services.
It said it is awaiting clarification from Bus Éireann so it can continue to provide a professional and safe service.
