Bohermeen parents left ‘blindsided’after children deniedplaces on school bus

Thirteen children in the Bohermeen area have been left high and dry just days before school starts after being refused places on their local school bus despite many having tickets last year.

Furious parents say they were ‘blindsided’ when they were told their children were no longer eligible for the service to St Ultan’s National School in Bohermeen, even though some have been using the same bus route for years.

“It’s an absolute disgrace,” said Lisa Lynagh, a healthcare worker from Moyagher, whose son had previously been picked up right outside their gate. “We’re 5.6km from the school, and yet we’ve been told we’re too far and that there are other schools closer. But those schools don’t even offer transport!”

Erin Lynagh’s eldest son, Tadgh, who is due to start Junior Infants next week, has also been refused a seat. Erin, who has two younger boys and another baby on the way, said the decision has left her feeling abandoned by a system that is supposed to support families.

“In my appeal letter to Bus Éireann, I made it clear this process has been conducted unfairly and without transparency,” she said. “I’m concerned my child has been excluded based on assumptions rather than clear, consistent rules. We’re being told there are schools closer but that’s irrelevant when there’s no transport to those schools either.

"Each year Bus Eireann are adding new families and leaving out ones that had seats and therefore not addressing properly the needs of the area."

Erin claimed the ruling breaches the government’s own School Bus Transport Scheme review, published more than 18 months ago, which promised to prioritise fairness and access.

“This refusal completely undermines those principles,” she said. “Our kids are being penalised for the school they attend.

The most heartbreaking part is that the bus will be stopping at our neighbours’ gates literally the same spots and collecting their children while ours are left standing there watching it drive off. How is that fair?”

Lisa isn’t alone. Anne Marie Lynagh, another angry parent, says the change has left her children Jane, going into 2nd class, and Sean, starting Senior Infants heartbroken and confused.

“We applied for the tickets, paid for them, and still got refused,” she said. “The bus will be driving past our gate, picking up other kids, and mine will be left standing there watching it go by.”

Anne Marie’s youngest had a bus ticket last year. Her daughter has used the service for two years. “They feel totally left out. The social side of it the independence and confidence it gave them it’s all been taken away. They just don’t understand.

Parents warn the decision could force them out of work.

“I’m a shift worker, I can’t be driving back and forth to the school four times a day,” Lisa said. “Some families have three or four kids in different classes with different finish times. It’s unmanageable.”

Anne Marie agreed: “There’s no way I can go back to work now. Sean finishes at 2pm, Jane at 3pm. That’s two round-trips every day. It’s just not feasible.”

The refusal is being blamed on the Department of Education’s distance-based eligibility rules, which prioritise students who attend the nearest school to their home. Because Google Maps says Cortown NS and Rathmore NS are technically closer, the 13 children have been classified as only eligible for “concessionary” tickets, which are not guaranteed and often handed out by lottery.

But locals argue those schools aren’t practical options.

“There’s no transport to those schools either,” Lisa pointed out. “We’re part of the Bohermeen parish. Our kids play for Bohermeen clubs, they’re involved in the community here, it’s their school. They belong there.”

Parents argue the school bus is more than just a convenience, it’s a lifeline.

“It’s part of their routine,” said Anne Marie. “It gives them a sense of independence, a chance to socialise, to bond with other kids. And now, they’re being excluded for no good reason.”

Locals are calling for immediate government intervention to reinstate the bus places before school reopens next week.

The situation has ignited fury from local representatives, including Sinn Féin Education spokesperson Darren O’Rourke TD, who has slammed the government for failing to act on a long-awaited review of the School Transport Scheme.

“This is what happens when the government sits on its hands,” he said. “The review was published in February 2024 — over a year and a half ago. It recommended changes to the distance policy that would have helped these families. But nothing has been done.”

The review, which took three years to complete, recommended reducing the minimum distance criteria for school transport eligibility starting September 2025 too late for the children left behind this year.

“Because of this delay, families across Meath and the country are now paying the price,” O’Rourke added.

“These kids should have been reclassified as eligible this year. Instead, they’ve been left stranded.”

Bus Eireann has been approached for comment.

The Department of Education has been contacted for comment.