School Transport
Seanad Éireann — 2026-03-18
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Linda Nelson Murray (FG), Industrial and Commercial Panel

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to discuss the very important issue of the bus route between Trim and Kilmessan. I will give the Minister of State a small snapshot of the texts I receive as a parent. One message read, "Slight delay this morning due to breakdown private bus on the way". Another read, "Private bus tomorrow thanks". Another text read, "Hi all private bus again tomorrow". Another read, "Hi bus running a little late due to breakdown". On the same day, I got a text saying "I found a bus so see you all tomorrow morning". Another read, "Bus is broken down so delay waiting on private bus to come will be very late". Another message read, "Bus broken down please bring your child to school as we've no spare bus this morning". Another two texts read, "private bus today all". Another read, "Bus has a breakdown issue if you can pick your child up at school please do". Another message read, "sorry for the late message I've broken down no bus this afternoon". Another read, "I'm very sorry my bus is broken down again this morning". Another text read, "I have broken down bus private bus cover today". Another read, "bus has broken down I may not get back on the road for primary school children". Another message read, "no bus please bring your child to school". A day later, we got a text saying, "private bus will cover the rest of the week". A further text read, "bus has broken down I will have a bus for the afternoon". Another read, "Massive thank you for all the parents help this morning you're all super helpful it's much appreciated". A few days later, we get a text saying, "private bus will cover the school bus run tomorrow" because the bus was broken down. Another message read, "no bus this morning due to dangerous road conditions private bus". It continues and continues. Another read, "no bus this morning it has broken down please take your child to school". Later that day we got a text saying, "I have a bus for the afternoon see you all later". Then again a text reading "I've broken down ....private bus on the way to collect the children". It continues.
How is it possible that this is allowed to happen in this day and age? This is just one route. I know about it because it is a route that my children use. How is Linda, our lovely bus driver, expected to drive a bus that continually breaks down and is 20 years old? How is she expected to get up every morning and do her job? I am very lucky that my kids have the opportunity to get a school bus, but more often than not the bus is broken. It causes stress to parents, to schoolchildren and to Linda, the poor bus driver.
Linda makes sure that every child gets on and off the bus and that schoolbags are not forgotten. She ensures children have their football and camogie gear. She is like an extra parent in the mornings and afternoons. I give this recognition to Linda because she deserves it. She is on the Trim-Kilmessan route in County Meath. What Linda deserves is a decent bus. I recorded my daughter, who is ten years of age, describing her journey home from school last June. She said the engine was overheating a lot because of the warm day and the bus kept having to stop. She said Linda, the bus driver, had to get out of the bus to look at the engine and when she came back in, the door was jammed and she could not close it. She had to get all of the children to move to the back of the bus and she drove really slowly the rest of the way home with the door open as it was dangerous. This is like the "Fawlty Towers" of bus routes. I appreciate that the Department is under budgetary constraints, but it is simply not good enough for our kids. I urge the Minister of State to ensure schoolchildren get better quality buses, in particular on the Trim-Kilmessan bus route.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-03-18/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:44+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-18