Comment: Uniforms, shoes, books, voluntary contributions and rising food costs putting families to breaking point

It wouldn't be August without stories of back to school hardships and issues with books, uniforms, transport and 'voluntary contributions'

This year however, the problems facing parents trying to get their children to school, let alone kitting them out, are stark.

Today we report on families who have lost out on precious school bus seats that transport students from rural communities into their chosen schools.

The Department of Education provides the subsidised school transport for post-primary pupils who live more than 4.8 kilometres away from the appropriate school.

Bus Éireann runs the school bus service and the Department of Education decides the annual fares. The Department and Bus Éireann determine what is the relevant school, having regard to ethos, language and the shortest traversable route from the child’s home.

The service is only provided where there are at least 10 eligible pupils in a distinct locality that can be economically serviced by a bus route. Even when a pupil meets the age and distance criteria for school transport, there is no legal entitlement to transport.

Pupils attending a recognised post-primary school that is not the post-primary school for their area can use the service if there is room on the bus, provided they live at least 4.8 kilometres from the school in question.

Many families have depended on these concessionary tickets and pay the full charge, however the fee does not apply for the school year 2022-2023 meaning many more parents have opted to try and avail of the system, leaving many who have used the system for years without a seat for their child.

One of those is Charmaine Kelly from Kilmessan says her employers at Beaumont Hospital have allowed her start late for the first few weeks of the school year, while she tries to sort out transport for her son, Stephen, who hasn't been allocated a school bus seat despite having one for al his previous years in school.

She explains that Stephen always had a concessionary place on the bus, even last year when it was at half capacity. "We used to pay €100 for the year and I was happy to pay that, but now the government has said it will be free this year and everybody is applying for discretionary places."

Celine Sherlock from Ballivor and her daughter are very concerned as they haven't heard yet if she will get a seat on the bus to Boyne Community School in Trim this year. Two of her daughters have used this bus for the past six or seven years. "Over the years, I have paid more than €3,000 for heir seats, but now that it is free, it looks like she won't get a seat.

In announcing the decision to waive the fees for school transport back in July the Minister for Education Norma Foley said the move would "help struggling families with back-to-school costs" and "provide families with savings of up to €500 on the cost of tickets."

The Government may have exacerbated an already annually messy situation by opening the system up to those who may not need it as badly as many of the parents contacting the Meath Chronicle, worried sick over how they are going to get their children to and from school.

There is a real sense of foreboding around this back to school season with transport just one issue. The spiralling costs of food and energy as well as demands for voluntary contributions, expensive uniforms and books are placing households under intolerable stress.

Credit Unions are reporting record loan applications to help with back to school costs and a recent survey by the Irish League of Credit Unions last month showed many families are using credit cards to purchase back to school items.

Uniforms, new shoes, books, voluntary contributions and even rising food costs are putting families under tremendous pressure, and the school bus crisis may well be the straw that breaks the camel's back for many families.