SERIOUS concerns about the bus services for Shannon secondary schools were voiced at this week’s meeting of the Shannon Municipal District.
Councillor David Griffin (FF) put forward a motion calling on the National Transport Authority “to progress the upgrading of stop infrastructure, including timetabling and shelters, on the newly amended 343 bus route, most especially at pick up and drop off points for school transport users”.
He said that since the changes were introduced some weeks ago, councillors have been “firefighting” while he said there should have been far more consultation with parents and school principals.
Councillor Griffin said that elected representatives have been treated with a lot of disrespect, and that even a few simple changes to the services could have made the rejigged services “more acceptable and palatable”.
He pointed out that 280 young people in Sixmilebridge and another 110 in Newmarket are accessing buses, without proper stops in place or an adequate number of bus shelters.
Councillor Donna McGettigan (SF) said that under the changes some established bus stops are no longer in use, but Bus Éireann hadn’t taken any steps to make sure their customers knew, so people ended up standing on the roadside waiting for long spells for buses that would not arrive.
She pointed out that not everyone uses a smartphone and were thus not in a position to find out why the bus they were waiting for was not coming.
Fine Gael councillor John Crowe said that Bus Éireann representatives should be asked to the next meeting to explain exactly what has happened to the bus service in the area in recent weeks.
“The way it was handled was scandalous,” he claimed.
He said he couldn’t understand why there wasn’t a collection point put in place at Mount Ievers.
Councillor Crowe said there had never been a problem having one there in the past, but there seems to be a big issue with doing it now.
At a separate stage of the meeting Councillor Patrick O’Gorman (FF) said that there had been no negotiation with the local school principals before the reconfigured bus service was announced.
Councillor McGettigan also said she was “very surprised” that there has not been an accident at the Town Hall, given the chaos there at times of school pick ups.
She claimed it had taken local firefighters a quarter of an hour to access the fire station one day, so bad was the situation.
Many families who have paid for bus tickets have not used them given the situation, she added, and that the situation could get even worse if they start to use it.
“There was no public consultation and no plan B. It is absolutely disgraceful that Bus Éireann would put this on parents and children and residents,” she added.
She said she was aware of one case where a wheelchair user has found it very difficult to leave their home due to the situation.
Councillor Tony Mulcahy (FG)said that chaotic is the only word to describe the situation that frequently prevails around the Town Hall.
“The way that TII have handled it is appalling,” he added.
At a recent meeting of Clare County Council, Fine Gael’s John Crowe had argued in favour of the development of a secondary school at Sixmilebridge and at this week’s MD meeting he sought “an urgent meeting” with the Department of Education on the matter.
He said the new school is badly needed given the demographics in the area, with hundreds more houses set to be built in Sixmilebridge.
A number of councillors backed his proposal including Fine Gael’s Tony Mulcahy, who said the principle “isn’t rocket science” but that there seems to be no forward planning done.
Councillor Michael Begley also supported the motion, while he said it was important that a start be made, because even if approval was given this week, it would still take 10-15 years for the new school to actually open.
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked with a number of other publications in Limerick, Cork and Galway. His first book will be published in December 2024.