Wallace seeks school bus for Ratoath College
Meath East TD Mary Wallace has met with Department of Education officials and with Meath VEC Chief Executive Officier Mr Peter Kierans to discuss the school transport catchment area with a view to facilitating students attending Ratoath Post Primary College.
Bus Éireann operates the School Transport Scheme on behalf of the Department of Education and Science. County Meath VEC assist Bus Éireann in administrating the service in County Meath to all second-level schools. Bus Éireann is responsible for planning routes, employing bus drivers, collecting fares and ensuring compliance with safety regulations and insurance.
Minister Wallace has requested that students from Ratoath College feeder schools of Curragha, Rathbeggan and the rural part of Ratoath parish be provided for under the school transport system.
Minister Wallace said “There is a need for a school bus service to faciltate students of both Curragha and Rathbeggan who are attending Ratoath College. Students living in these areas are fully eligible under the school transport scheme as they are over the miminum 3 mile distance required from the College”
Minister Wallace was informed that there needs to be at least 7 eligible students in each area before separate school buses can be provided. To be eligible for transport under this scheme a pupil must:
1. Be not less than 12 years of age on the first of January of the school year in which the pupil enters second level educatioin
2. Live 4.8 kilometers (3 miles) or more from his/her appropriate post-primary education centre
3. Eligibility. Where an eligible student attends a school at a centre other than the post primary centre which caters for the catchment area in which he/she lives he/she may be allowed concession of transport from the catchment boundary of the centre attended provided there is a spare seat on the bus serving that centre. Students themselves are responsible for getting to the catchment boundary or the nearest school bus service within that catchment area. Students availing of such service are referred to as catchment boundary pupils. Catchement boundary tickets are issued on a term to term basis depending on availabilty of seats.
4. Students who live inside the 3 mile zone may be issued with a concessionary ticket if there are seats available on the bus. These students are referred to as concessionary students. Concessionary tickets are issued on a term to term basis depending on availabilty of seats and are issued on a first come, first served basis, whoever pays first.
School bus for Rathbeggan/rural Ratoath
Currently there are at least 7 students from Rathbeggan National School enrolled in Ratoath College which meets the mimimum number required for a separate school bus and this bus commenced operation on 7/1/08.
Minister Wallace would like to thank Bus Eireann, Meath VEC and all involved for agreeing with her survey demonstrating the milage from home gate to school gate faciliating the extra 3 key students and providing the key critical number to secure this bus to the end of December 2008 when the numbers will be reviewed again. The expectation, however, is that the September 2008 intake of elegible students will provide further confirmation for the continuing of this service.
School bus for Curragh
Minister Wallace has requested that the Meath VEC consider the extention of the current school catchment area so that Curragha students enrolled in Ratoath College are provided for by the school bus system.
Minister Wallace is very hopeful that an agreement will be reached all round and she would like to express her thanks again to Peter Kierans and the staff of Meath VEC for working with her on these important developments.