Sinn Féin Councillor Conor McGuinness has said that over 400 people have signed a local petition demanding a public school bus service for secondary school students travelling between Ardmore and Dungarvan.
McGuinness said:
“Families from Ardmore, Clashmore, Grange, Kinsalebeg and surrounding areas are being put at a disadvantage because there is no public CIE school bus service operating between these area and Dungarvan.
“Students are not being facilitated to attend a secondary school in their own county, and parents are being put under time and financial pressures to get them to and from school.
“Parents and local representatives have been raising this issue for a long time with no success. It has been raised with Government representatives time and time again to no avail. It is now time to join together to demand change.
“Securing a public CIE school bus service would make a huge difference to parents and children by providing them with a transport service on par with that afforded to students in other parts of Co. Waterford.
“There is an excellent private service operating on this route, but it is clear that there is more than sufficient demand for a public service to also operate in order to increase seats and assist parents.
The petition gathered 431 signatures from families in the area. It is addressed to Fianna Fáil Minister for Education Norma Foley and copied to Green Party Transport Minister Eamonn Ryan, Waterford Oireachtas Members and local councillors.
The petition calls on the “Department of Education and Bus Éireann to provide an adequate CIE school bus service to Dungarvan for secondary school students from these parts of West Waterford.”
I goes on to say that “we believe that secondary school children and their families should not be put at a disadvantage when seeking to attend school in their own county, and that an urgent review is carried out on the decision not to provide a CIE school bus service to Dungarvan for our children.”
Cllr. Conor D. McGuinness 