Galway Bay fm newsroom - Galway East TD Seán Canney has raised serious concerns as school students across his constituency have been refused concessionary school bus tickets for the upcoming year.
Concessionary tickets are paid for in full by parents however, some pupils are being refused the service on the basis of social distancing, according to Deputy Canney.
It comes as government announced yesterday that all school buses will operate at full capacity with children and teenagers being pre-assigned seats beside their siblings or other pupils from their class group.
However, that's contrary to reports from concerned parents in Galway who told Deputy Canney that their children have been refused tickets on the school transport system for September.
The Independent TD is calling on the Department of Transport to ensure all students are accommodated next month.
He says it's especially crucial for rural areas.
Meanwhile, Labour has accused the Department of Education of deliberately sending statements out on a Friday evening to avoid answering questions.
The Minister provided an update yesterday evening, but didn't address the revelation about school buses operating at full capacity.
Other concerns have been raised about the school buses - including the possibility of a spike in Covid-19 among students if there's no social distancing on the bus.
TD Aodhan O'Riordan says parents and school staff are heading into the weekend with more questions than answers
