Ballivor families "furious" as school bus tickets cancelled days before term

Families in Ballivor have been left stunned and stranded after Bus Éireann cancelled school bus tickets to Coláiste Clavin in Longwood with just days to go before the new school year begins.

Parents say they are “angry, betrayed and abandoned” after tickets already confirmed, and in some cases delivered by post, were suddenly revoked in a flurry of last-minute emails. For working households in Ballivor, where there is no secondary school and no public transport alternatives, the blow has been described as “devastating.”

For Karen Smith, whose son is starting third year in Coláiste Clavin, the news has thrown her family’s routine into chaos.

“I applied and paid for a ticket back on the 13th of March,” Karen said. “We got the confirmation, and just last week the ticket arrived. We were delighted, because my son depends on that bus. Then this evening another email, saying there’s no bus after all. I couldn’t believe it.”

Both Karen and her husband commute long distances for work. “I’m in Inchicore, he’s in Duleek. We leave the house at 7am. My husband doesn’t get home until after five, I’m back about half six. We absolutely depend on that bus to get him to and from school. There are no CIE buses, no taxis, nothing else to fall back on.”

Now the couple are taking emergency time off. “My husband’s taking Monday off to bring him, I’ll take Tuesday. After that, I have no idea what we’ll do. To say I’m disappointed, frustrated, angry that doesn’t even cover it. To give families one working day’s notice is an absolute joke. My son’s education is now resting on whether we can take leave from work. What happens when we can’t?”

Niamh Fisher found herself in a nightmare after moving house earlier this summer.

“My daughter had a secured place from our old address,” she said. “But when we moved just three minutes down the road I had to cancel the old ticket to update the address. That meant she lost her seat completely.”

To add insult to injury, the email Niamh received from Bus Éireann stated:

“We will continue to process your application, but applicants who paid late or input medical card details late cannot be guaranteed a seat on a school transport service. However, should a seat become available, Bus Éireann will contact you directly.”

Niamh says she has since been contacted by at least a dozen other families caught up in the mess. “Some had tickets confirmed, only to be told this week there’s no bus. It’s a disgrace. Parents are now talking about rallying together to find a solution. But we shouldn’t have to, Bus Éireann should provide the service.”

For Veronica Greene, the fallout could jeopardise her daughter’s Leaving Cert Applied.

“She got her ticket last week, then the email cancelling it this week,” Veronica said. “I work as a bus escort in the primary school, so I leave at 7.30am. I can’t drop her or collect her if I do, it means three younger children on the primary bus lose their escort.”

Veronica’s daughter has Type 1 diabetes and already misses days for clinics. “With LCA, attendance is part of the final result. Missing days now could mean she fails part of her Leaving Cert. It’s unthinkable.”

The news was delivered in a letter from Bus Éireann that has sparked widespread outrage:

“Despite extensive efforts, we’ve had trouble setting up transport on some routes, including yours. Difficulties have arisen due to lack of driver or contractor availability, and in some cases, zero bids were received for a service despite repeated efforts.”

Parents were told buses would not run for the start of term on August 25th. Instead, they may qualify for an “Exceptional No Service Interim Grant” to cover driving costs — but only after the service starts, and only based on recorded school attendance.

“That’s no good to us,” one furious mother said. “We need a bus, not a grant we’ll get paid months later.”

Claire O’Mara, whose daughter Ava was among those affected, said: “Some of the children left without transport are only first years. Parents are stressed, children are nervous. Now they’re stranded. It’s a terrible blow.”

Ballivor social media groups have lit up with parents scrambling to arrange lift shares and carpools. But families say it’s no substitute for a reliable school bus.

One parent, who asked not to be named, said her two children were left stranded despite having their tickets in hand.

“This school transport service should begin on Monday 25th August but has now been cancelled even though my two children received their tickets. I am absolutely disgusted at being left without transport for my two children with no warning or other arrangements in place for them.

"I work full-time and cannot leave my job to do school drop-offs and collections. While I have a car, it is not possible for me to provide daily transport given my work commitments. My children now have no way to get to and from school.

"This service is essential to our family, and to be informed that they are having trouble setting up transport on some routes at such short notice is completely unacceptable. The lack of consideration for the impact on families is shocking, and it is causing unnecessary stress.

"I honestly don’t know how we are going to manage this.”

With the new school term just days away, Ballivor families say they are out of options. Parents who work long hours, children preparing for state exams, and new first years facing their first term — all are now left stranded.

As Karen Smith summed it up: “It’s shocking to think that my son’s education rests on whether I can take a day off work. We pay, we get the tickets, then they rip them away. Families can’t live like this. Our kids deserve better.”

Bus Eireann has been contacted for comment