Meathwoman's Diary: When will we ever learn?

There was relief this week for 16 Moynalvey schoolchildren who had been stranded without a bus service for the first two weeks of term. On Monday, the long-awaited service to Scoil Uí Riada in Kilcock finally began running.

For parents, it ended a fortnight of car-pooling, juggling shifts and sheer frustration. “We got an email on Thursday to let us know the bus would be up and running from Monday,” said local mother Colleen McCormack. “We are delighted and relieved. It has taken a lot of pressure off us.”

But why did it come to this in the first place?

In this country, we have a peculiar habit: we wait until the fire is burning before we go looking for a bucket of water. Planning ahead, anticipating problems, putting structures in place before they collapse, these are not things we seem very good at.

Take the school bus debacle. Moynalvey was not alone. In Ballivor, Kentstown, Trim, families were blindsided. Some had tickets in their hands, only to be told at the eleventh hour the bus wasn’t running. One mother, who had carefully prepared her child with additional needs for secondary school, saw weeks of planning unravel with a single email. It wasn’t just inconvenient; it was devastating.

And it was predictable. We’ve known for years there’s a shortage of drivers. We’ve known pupil numbers are growing. We’ve known the tendering process drags too close to the wire. Yet every August, families hold their breath until the last minute to see if the bus will actually turn up.

Minister for Education Helen McEntee, welcoming the resumption of services in Moynalvey, says she wants timelines brought forward so families aren’t left in limbo. That’s welcome but will it actually happen? Or will we be back here again in twelve months, children stranded and parents scrambling at the roadside?

Meanwhile, in Rathkenny, a school is closing not because of failing facilities but because there are no pupils left despite the fact money was spent on extensions and a sensory room just a few years ago. In Dunshaughlin, families still wait for the long-promised creche at the Willows estate.

Families are entitled to feel angry. They apply early, pay their fees, and build their lives around the assumption that buses will run, schools will stay open, childcare will be available. Time and again, the system lets them down.

Other countries plan for population shifts, anticipate transport needs, and expand facilities before crisis point. Here, we prefer crisis mode. Until that changes, parents will keep paying the price.