Galway families face school bus lottery as calls intensify for system change

A Galway City Councillor whose own daughter has been affected by uncertainty over school bus places has called for children granted a bus pass to keep it for up to five years while attending the same school.

Published 30th Sep 2026, 20:33 BST Iconic A Galway City Councillor whose own daughter has been affected by uncertainty over school bus places has called for children granted a bus pass to keep it for up to five years while attending the same school. Galway families are facing a school bus lottery from one year to the next, with children securing a place one year, only to lose it the following year.

Now Galway City Cllr Josie Forde (FF) has called for children granted a school bus pass to keep it for five years or the duration of their time in the same school.

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She said the current system leaves families with uncertainty from one school year to the next and described the number of children who have not received school bus passes this year as “absolutely unacceptable”.

“What is particularly frustrating for families is the uncertainty around school bus passes,” she said.

“Children can receive a bus pass one year and then have that pass refused or revoked the following year. That is simply not good enough.”

Safety fears as families forced onto road at Craughwell level crossing €900k speed sign bill branded ‘absolutely crazy’ as Loughrea campaign intensifies Cllr Forde has experienced the issue first hand. Her own daughter received a school bus pass two years ago, was refused one last year and secured one again this year.

“My own daughter was granted a school bus pass two years ago, was refused one last year, and was fortunate enough to receive one again this year.”

Cllr Forde said families need greater certainty and believes that once a child is allocated a school bus place, they should be able to retain it while attending the same school.

“If a child is granted a school bus pass, I believe that pass should remain valid for the duration of their time in that school - five years,” she said.

“Families need certainty. Parents need to be able to plan, and children need to know that they have a reliable way of getting to school.”

Overcrowded buses 'leaving passengers behind them' across three Galway areas Cllr Forde also called for more school buses and greater capacity to meet demand.

“The number of children who have not received school bus passes this year is absolutely unacceptable,” she said.

“Children rely on these buses to get to school every day, and this is an issue we are seeing year in, year out.”

She said increasing the availability of school transport would also help reduce the number of cars on the road during the school run.

“We need more school buses on the road and fewer cars on our roads,” Cllr Forde said.

“It makes no sense to have children who need transport to school left without a bus place, while parents are forced to drive them, adding even more congestion to our roads.”

She said the issue is arising repeatedly and needs a longer-term solution rather than families facing the same uncertainty at the beginning of each school year.

The number of children who have not received school bus passes this year is absolutely unacceptable.

Cllr Forde has called on the Department of Education, the Department of Transport and schools to work together to address the issue.

“We need more buses, better planning and a school transport system that families can rely on.”