Many parents in Ireland are upset over the restrictions to only provide school transport to pupils who live more than three miles from their primary or secondary school.

Meath Chronicle reported that students in the catchment area of Colaiste na hInse in Laytown will lose out as they live just under the three-mile zone from the educational facility.

Speaking to the newspaper, mother Irene O'Donnell said that the regulation was "an old rule and it should be done away with".

Operated by Bus Eireann throughout Ireland, the scheme is carefully monitored, with limited capacity on each school bus.

Chief executive of Country Meath VEC, which processes the applications in the area, Peter Kierans said: "The transport scheme doesn't break even and is at huge cost to the department. There are very strict rules and this situation is repeated in every area. "

The Department of Education's School Transport Scheme currently helps 127,000 pupils journey to their local educational facility every day on more than 3,800 vehicles.

Posted by Donal Walsh

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