South Armagh school children ‘forgotten about’ by buses
Sinn Fein MLA Megan Fearon has welcomed assurances from Translink that a series of blunders which saw school children in South Armagh left behind will not happen again.
Fearon says she lobbied Translink for answers along with local councillor Terry Hearty when children couldn’t get on buses that were full in Crossmaglen and children in Culloville were ‘forgotten about altogether’ earlier this month.
Angry parents contacted Fearon and Hearty when their children couldn’t get to school.
“I have spoken with Translink Inspector Davy McCabe about the incidents that occurred and have been assured they will not happen again,” she said.
“He told me that children in Crossmaglen could not board buses as they were full when one of the three buses that serves the area broke down, leaving the burden on the other two. He also told me that children in Culloville were skipped when a replacement driver was not fully aware of the route.
“I asked him what has been done to address these matters and he told me the faulty bus is currently under repair and that a replacement has been sent out in the meantime. He also assured me that special efforts will be made to ensure all replacement drivers are fully aware of the routes they are to cover.
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“I have reported this back to the parents of children affected and they are satisfied that it will not happen again,” Fearon added.
Councillor Terry Hearty said parents were right to contact the party. “Parents were absolutely right to contact us with these issues and I’m glad we were able to get them some assurances.
“I would encourage anyone experiencing similar problems to get in touch with their local Sinn Féin office.”
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