The Sonnagh school closed in 1959 and pupils were transferred to Kilnadeema national school. The school transport scheme was not established until 1967. While a service previously operated from Sonnagh past the home of the pupils in question, my Department could not have given a definitive commitment to provide transport from Sonnagh village from 1959 onwards. The matter was last considered in 1998. The family concerned resided 1.3 miles from the nearest pick-up point. My Department was prepared to allow an extension of the existing service to bring the family to within 0.8 miles of the pick-up point. The family, however, indicated to Bus Éireann that this would not be acceptable.
As a rule, primary school transport routes are planned so that, as far as possible, no eligible child will have more than 1.5 miles to travel to a pick-up point. Pupils living off the main route of a service are generally expected to make their own way, or to be brought to convenient pick-up points along the main route. Home pick-ups were never envisaged as being part of the school transport scheme as the cost involved on a countrywide level would be prohibitive.