Bus Eireann need to properly fund and staff school bus services in Leitrim and stop relying on private operators.
That's the call made by Councillor and school bus driver Caillian Ellis at the July meeting of Leitrim County Council.
The Fianna Fail representative says that longterm staff are retiring but are not being replaced, leading to an over reliance on private contractors.
He's warning that the system is in danger of collapsing in the longterm, leaving families without vital school transports.
In a motion unanimously supported by his fellow councillors, Caillian Ellis called for the local authority to liaise with other councils in putting pressure on Bus Eireann to begin recruiting new bus drivers:
'As anyone retires from Bus Eireann, from school bus driving, they're not being replaced.
So they are trying to replace from the private sector, and in all fairness they are doing quite a good job.
They are not able to carry the fleet of buses that has to be carried for spares to ensure that the service is there for morning and evening.
I'm calling on Bus Eireann to recruit drivers, as they did for years and years. If any management retired they are replaced right away.'
