TRANSITION YEAR STUDENTS INVITED TO ‘GO PLACES WITH BUS ÉIREANN’

Bus Éireann announces a new nationwide competition for TY students

 Schools Prize Fund of €15,000

Bus Éireann has officially launched an exciting new competition for Transition Year students, ‘Go Places with Bus Éireann’, which is running for the first time in the current academic year, 2016/2017.  Participating students will be in with a chance of winning one of five regional prizes of €3,000 for their school, and one national prize of a fun filled day out for their class* to a leisure park, including complimentary use of a private coach.

Projects are being invited under a range of categories including ‘Safety’, ‘Technology & Communication, ‘Environment & Sustainability’, ‘Community’, and ‘Society, Culture or Sport’.  They can be submitted in various ways including via video, a written submission, a PowerPoint presentation or an academic poster.   • ‘Go Places with Bus Éireann’ launched by ‘Two Tube’ presenters Bláthnaid Treacy and Stephen Byrne and Transition Year students at Coláiste Cois Life in Lucan

Students are being asked to submit their ideas for how school transport and public bus transport can best support schools and the wider public. Winner of this year’s Passenger Transport Company of the Year, Bus Éireann is the operator of School Transport for the Department of Education and Skills. 

It is also the largest provider of regional city, town and rural public transport services, with 650 vehicles in operation on 330 routes throughout the country.  Our school transport operation involves over 4,000 vehicles servicing 3,000 routes to 2,000 schools.

41 million journeys on the School Transport Scheme

Bus Éireann chief executive Martin Nolan said: “We’re inviting Transition Year students to come up with innovative proposals on how bus transport – and Bus Éireann – can best continue to support schools and wider society into the future.  Every day, we carry 112,500 students to school and back – that’s over 41 million journeys per year on the School Transport Scheme alone.  Transition Year is a time to think outside the box and focus on project work, so who better to give us feedback and ideas on our services than TY students, many of whom use our services every day?”

Launching the competition, Bláthnaid Treacy, presenter on RTÉ 2FM radio and RTE’s Two Tube TV said: “With the Junior Cert behind them, TY students have more time to think about what makes them tick.   Public transport is so important and who better to help Bus Éireann plan for the future than students?  This is a great opportunity for Transition Year students to get stuck in and play a part in shaping our public services.”  

Vlogger Stephen Byrne, who co-hosts RTE’s Two Tube with Bláthnaid, said: “We all use public transport at some point in our lives, so why not have your say?  There are loads of ways to be creative and Transition Years are well placed to come up with ideas. Projects are a great way of collaborating on these. Topics could range from better use of apps and social media – a personal interest of mine – to safety on board or engagement with schools and community groups.”

Niamh Wilde, Transition Year Coordinator at Coláiste Cois Life in Lucan said: “As ’Go Places’ is based around project work with an education element, it can fit perfectly with the Transition Year curriculum.  Project work has so many benefits, and importantly it can help students develop self-directed learning skills, which will stand to them in the Leaving Cert cycle. We’re looking forward to getting ‘on board’ with this great new competition and seeing the students’ entries.” 

Entries must be submitted by the entrant’s school after 9am on 28 February 2017 and before the deadline of 5pm on 16 March 2017.  For full information, see: http://www.goplaceswithbe.ie/

Monday, 24th October, 2016