Wexford school bus service back in operation

Students and parents in Wexford were left reeling yesterday after receiving a text to say that their regular school bus service was not going to be in operation from Monday 8th January, leaving some with no way of getting to school following the Christmas break.

As many as 50 Wexford schoolchildren were affected as Bus Éireann said that their service had been cancelled due to a lack of drivers. The route D1206, which brings children from Wellingtown Bridge , Taghmon and Barntown to Wexford town was the route in question. Local councillor Jim Codd had been liaising with some of the parents and the private bus company which operates the route, the cancellation was in place because a driver had moved to another job. He updated South East Radio this morning and said that the service has since been reinstated for Monday as a replacement driver has been allocated from outside the County. Mr Codd says that this is a nationwide problem and the staffing issues within the sector will cause further problems with school buses in Wexford. "We have secured a driver for this route, but we had to go outside the County to get one. The reality is that Bus Éireann and the contractors are not working day to day at this point they are working hour to hour. If a driver is sick the bus may not travel. Many more routes are in jeopardy because they cannot access drivers."