Ahern orders full review of school bus testing system

The Government has ordered a full review of the system for maintaining and testing the Bus Éireann fleet as well as vehicles contracted to provide school transport services.

The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, indicated yesterday that the review would examine whether roadworthiness checks on school buses should be carried out by the company's own staff or independent personnel.

Mr Ahern told the Dáil that after five incidents involving school bus transport over the last year, including two in which children died, he was not happy that everything was as it should be.

The announcement of the review came in the aftermath of an incident in Co Meath on Tuesday in which 32 children had to be evacuated from a bus just before it went on fire.

Mr Ahern said he had spoken to the Minister for Transport, Martin Cullen, yesterday and asked him, in conjunction with his officials, to order "a full systems review of the entire process, to examine the criteria and to examine how we do our business in this area.

"We will not be lucky all the time and we have not been lucky previously so it is better that we examine it.

"Perhaps the system is fine but I am not an authority on it. We must examine all the processes and procedures in place," he said.

Mr Ahern said the issue of whether the roadworthiness tests should be carried out by Bus Éireann staff had been brought to his attention some time ago.

"The view is that it would not be possible to have thousands of buses checked outside CIÉ. However, auditing oneself is not good practice in any area. This should be examined. Again, it might be unavoidable but the entire process should be examined. I discussed this earlier with the Minister, Deputy Cullen, and he will order that it happens today."

Mr Ahern said the system where an individual could fix a bus and carry out its roadworthiness examination did not happen in other areas.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said it was "a perverse reality that the least safe method of public transport in the country was that to which we entrust our children each morning.

"Promises have been made in the past, and very specific pledges were made on foot of the tragic Kentstown incident last year, but we are still witnessing very serious safety breaches like the fire yesterday in Westmeath where, miraculously, no one died," he said.

Mr Kenny called on the Taoiseach to initiate an independent safety assessment of the school bus fleet.

A spokesman for Bus Éireann said last night that the company had already engaged outside consultants to examine its procedures in the maintenance and testing of the school bus fleet.