The family of an eight-year-old girl who was told she would not be allowed travel on a school bus, because the company operating the service had not been told she had special needs, say they are delighted the situation has been resolved.
Cathal Gilbert said Bus Éireann rang him today to confirm that his daughter, who has Down syndrome, will be able to travel with her sibling on the Timoleague to Barryroe bus for the duration of the school year.
Speaking to RTÉ News, Mr Gilbert said: "We are happy Bus Éireann has allowed our daughter to travel on the bus with all the other children, which she should have been able to do last year too, but we still have questions about how this came about, and we will be following up on this."
Yesterday, the family received a call from Bus Éireann to say their daughter would not be able to travel on the bus on her first day back to school because the bus operator, Kinsale Travel, had raised an objection.
The decision also affected a second child with special needs.
Mr Gilbert appealed for help yesterday evening on social media.
Earlier today, Bus Éireann rang to say his daughter would be able to travel on the bus and later rang back to confirm that her place is secure for the school year.
In a statement issued today, Kinsale Travel said it had "never raised an objection" to a child or adult with special needs travelling on any bus service, but had sought clarification from Bus Éireann about a policy that stated children with special needs were to be accompanied.
A spokesperson for Bus Éireann said that all 16 students on the route had applied for a bus pass through the mainstream school transport system.
