Fianna Fáil’s Transport Spokesperson and TD for Dublin Mid-West, Shane Moynihan, has called for intervention to address the ongoing problems being experienced with weekend bus services across the constituency and the wider Dublin area.
Raising the issue directly at this week’s meeting of the Oireachtas Transport Committee, where representatives of the National Transport Authority, Dublin Bus and Go Ahead Ireland were in attendance, Deputy Moynihan said
“The number of people using public transport in Ireland has grown significantly over the last twelve months which is why it’s very frustrating, then, when you get complaints from people who say they’re not able to get on a bus because it’s full or if a bus doesn’t turn up, and this seems to be a particularly acute issue at weekends.”
Deputy Moynihan has also encouraged more forward planning for weekends when large events such as matches or concerts are taking place in the city centre and has highlighted the importance of giving bus operators flexibility in their service provision to allow additional services at such times.
“Whether it’s a big match or a concert, increased demand is predictable, but it seems to be that the flexibility does not exist for operators to put on additional services at short notice to address that.”
“With proper planning, and with better matching services with peak weekend travel times, we can make public transport the most reliable option for people making their way into the city centre. Services must be responsive to how people use them, not just Monday to Friday but across the whole week.”