Government Must Act Now on School Bus Driver Age Limits
Ongoing Review Not Good Enough – Government Must Act Now on School Bus Driver Age Limits
Independent Ireland TD for Limerick County Richard O’Donoghue has slammed the Government’s continued delay over age restrictions for school bus drivers, saying the delay is leaving children without transport and communities facing the same crisis year after year.
“I have been raising this issue for years,” Deputy O’Donoghue said. “I have again highlighted the issue with Minister for McEntee, the Minister for Transport to urge urgent action before this predictable crisis hits yet again in September. Here we are in mid-August, just like every year, parents face with buses not arriving, children left stranded, and parents scrambling for solutions. It is unacceptable.”
Under current rules, drivers over a certain age are excluded from school bus work, regardless of their health, ability, and driving record.
“As the Taoiseach himself acknowledged recently when I raised this issue in the Dail that, age alone should never be the defining factor for someone’s ability to drive a bus,” Deputy O’Donoghue continued. “There are perfectly fit, healthy, and experienced drivers willing to take on this work, yet they are being blocked by an arbitrary age limit. Meanwhile, school bus shortages are affecting every county in the country.”
Deputy O’Donoghue warned that the Government’s “ongoing review” is no comfort to the families and communities facing predictable distruption.
“Reviews and promises won’t get children to school in the morning. Decisions will,” he said. “The Government needs to act today to lift this age restriction, allow qualified older drivers back behind the wheel, and end the annual scramble that hits in August every single year.”
He added: “This is a national problem — not just a rural one, not just a Limerick or Cork problem. The whole country is suffering from the same short-sighted policy. It’s time to stop kicking the can down the road and start putting children first.”
