Rollercoaster school bus

Service for Killinkere, Bailieborough and Shercock will be running after all

It was a tumultuous 24 hours for parents in Killinkere, Shercock and Bailieborough. Bus Éireann had informed them Thursday via email that there would be no school bus service available “despite extensive efforts” to find a suitable contractor – meaning children on the route from Shercock to Bailieborough Community school and in the Killinkere parish were without transport.

“Unacceptable” said Killinkere NS principal Mary Brady. “We've been without a service since late April.”

The parents’ outcry in the local whatsapp-groups was similar to the last-minute bad news, struggling to find replacements and furiously contacting their local representatives. Phones had been ringing in Niamh Smyth’s office, the Minister reports: “It is a distressing situation to find out at the 11th hour that the needed bus-service isn’t running.”

She empathises with working parents: "It is not possible for them to arrive late all the time. They are now scrambling to replace the bus-service.”

She took it on to contact Bus Éireann and urged them to find a solution fast: “They told me that they are trying to resolve this over the weekend and find a new contractor.”

To the relief of all parties, 24 hours after the initial distressing email, another message popped into the inboxes from the School Transport Office: “I am pleased to advise the services will resume 25th August 2025 following a successful procurement/tendering process. The contractor is Streamline Coaches. The normal bus timetable will be adhered to.”

Affected parents are “over the moon” that the issue has been resolved and they can head worry-free into the last weekend of the holidays.