Schools should have designated buses to prevent Covid-19 spreading, Sinn Fein has proposed.
The party’s spokesperson on Transport Darren O’Rourke has called on the Education Minister Norma Foley and Transport Minister Eamon Ryan to address issues surrounding school transport.
He said: “It will come as a surprise to many, that although capacity on public transport has been limited to 50% due to Covid-19, no social distancing is planned for school buses when they return at the end of this month.
“While it may not be possible to achieve 50% capacity on these services, we believe additional buses should be put on to allow for more social distancing for school children.
“It’s envisaged that children will sit in designated seats, but as many school buses serve numerous schools, an outbreak in one school could spread through the school bus system under the current plans.
“We believe each school should have designated buses, to try and prevent the spread of Covid-19 from one school to another should there be an outbreak.”
Mr O’Rourke said Sinn Fein are also calling on the government to provide more money to be made available to bus operators to ensure they had clean buses regularly.
He said: “Many drivers in the sector are older workers, so it’s imperative they have appropriate equipment to keep them safe at work.
“Contractors have told me that the money announced by the government for cleaning and PPE only works out at about €4.50 per day per contractor, which is inadequate to meet the costs they will face.”
