In September 1967 the national bus service, Córas Iompair Éireann (CIE) were tasked at very short notice by the Minister for Education with assembling a no-frills, cheap to buy fleet of school buses to dovetail with the introduction of free second-level education.
The rush to acquire a fleet of school buses followed a bold move by the then Minister for Education, Donogh O’Malley on September 10th 1967, when during a dinner of the National Union of Journalists, he surprised attendees by unveiling sweeping changes he intended to implement in the Irish education system.
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O’Malley declared that from 1969 education up to the Intermediate Certificate level would be provided at no expense, with complimentary bus services transporting students from rural areas to their nearest schools.
In a political masterstroke by announcing the decision first to journalists and on a Saturday, during a month when the Dáil (Irish Parliament) was in recess, there was no politicians available to refute the new provisions. Minister O’Malley’s proposals gained immense popularity among the public, making it impossible for the government object.
A fleet of half-cab AEC Regals and Leyland Tigers were quickly assembled as a stop-gap measure. Later the order was given for a fleet of seven-hundred Bedford “Bus Scoile” to be coach-built in Ireland. Beginning with a Bedford SS1 a prototype was built by CIE at Spa Road Works in Inchicore. The remaining seven-hundred and sixty-nine Bedford VA S5 and SB5 buses painted in their distinctive yellow and white liveries were built by various builders on behalf of CIE, including McCairns of Santry (Dublin) and three vehicle builders in Dundalk, McArdles, Duffys and Murphys.
Drivers for the new school bus fleet were recruited from the ranks of part-time farmers and retired lorry drivers and former members of An Garda Síochána (Irish Police).
It cannot be underestimated the importance of the yellow and white school buses to the social fabric of Ireland from the late 1960s. Not only could children now access free education, but they could also do so by walking to the end of the lane in rural Ireland to be picked up and brought back twice per day. The parents of the children were freed up from twice daily school runs and the drivers availed of much needed and steady local employment.
Each bus was its own social microcosm, with places where you could sit and not sit. The driver would double as a fight referee and would jam on the brakes in the event of a fight, resulting in everyone being thrown forward and he would come back into the bus and sort out the miscreants. However, it was not always a rough and tumble environment and deep thinking was also practiced as Tony McCarthy shared with us “I remember the film The Godfather being discussed in the back of the bus as well as One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Great times.”
The SS1 Bus Scoile prototype is currently on display in the National Transport Museum.
Sources of Information and Photo Credits:
Anita – Pintrest
Creative Commons
D464 – Darren Hall
Irish Nostalgia
Peter Weetman
PL Chadwick
Stephen Harte
The Farmers Journal
