A Listowel councillor says he’s been contacted by parents of a student paying €81 a night for a hotel, as their son can’t get accommodation in Limerick.
Councillor Tom Barry has appealed to the county council to write to the operators of the Green Bus, to ask them to add parts of North Kerry to their route.
The Sinn Féin councillor brought the issue before the recent Listowel Municipal District meeting.
Councillor Tom Barry says parents of a local young man attending college in Limerick are being forced to pay €81 a night for a hotel, as their son hasn’t been able to find student accommodation.
He says this family can’t sustain this and they’re at their wits end, and adds a lot families are under such pressure.
Councillor Barry wrote to Dublin Coaches, the operators of the Green Bus, and asked them to add Listowel and Tarbert to their route, which travels between Limerick and Tralee via Abbeyfeale on the N21.
The private company said it doesn’t have plans to expand its route to incorporate the N69, which councillor Barry feels could help some of the many North Kerry students studying in Limerick, who can’t find accommodation there.
He now wants Kerry County Council to contact the company and appeal for a route change.
Fellow councillors supported the motion, with Michael Foley saying it maddens him that a young person can get into college, but can’t go because of transport or accommodation issues.
He feels the government should be investing with colleges to provide on campus accommodation.
