A DISRUPTION earlier this month to students travelling on a local Education Authority (EA) school bus route has highlighted recent driver shortages in the county, a local councillor has claimed.
Due to driver availability, the F090 Tempo/Enniskillen service did not run for the full day on Tuesday, October 8.
St Joseph’s College, Enniskillen, posted about the disruption on their social media, with parents and pupils having to make alternative travel arrangements.
Sinn Féin councillor Sheamus Greene was an EA school bus driver for 27 years before his retirement, and he believed the recent disruption would not be a one-off.
“I think it’s an ongoing problem and it will have consequences,” he said.
“The EA used to train drivers for the job and that’s how they’d get their licences, but that stopped several years ago.
“They also allowed retired drivers to continue driving the buses after 65 [years old] on their old routes. So, it all means there’s not the same number of drivers available now.
“Over the years, EA drivers have been paid a fair bit less than those working for Translink. The EA were trying to keep things going on the cheap.
“I always thought it was a back-door way to privatise the bus routes because they were then bringing in private contractors for routes if there were not enough drivers.
“Recently they have been advertising for more drivers, but it’s too little too late. It’s the rural areas that always seem to be suffering cutbacks.”
A spokesperson for the EA apologised for the disruption to the Tempo to Enniskillen schools service.
“This was due to staff absence and normal service resumed as normal on Wednesday, October 9,” the spokesperson said.
“Proving transport assistance for eligible pupils is a key priority for EA and we have a range of contingencies in place, including calling upon emergency relief drivers, private hire contracts, agency staff and a flexible recruitment programme.
“Unfortunately, on occasion due to the levels of absence, combined with an industry shortage of drivers, it is not always possible to make alternative arrangements; particularly for single-day absences or where notification is received at short notice.”
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