North Kildare bus disruption
Deputy Lawless complained of buses failing to turn up in north Kildare and south Meath, leaving commuters stranded. The Taoiseach said he would raise it with the Transport Minister and noted that industrial relations issues would be handled in the normal way.
The programme for Government makes multiple references to public transport. It also alludes to industrial relations machinery where appropriate. I want to raise the ongoing disruption to bus services in north Kildare. I believe it also affects south Meath. In north Kildare, in particular, places such as Kilcock, Clane and Prosperous, buses are literally not turning up in the morning to collect people. When they do turn up they are delayed, but people are being left stranded at the bus stop. I have engaged with the stakeholders, the National Transport Authority, Bus Éireann and other authoritative sources. There appears to be an unofficial industrial dispute, a form of blue flu, among the drivers. I put it to the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport via parliamentary question. I put it as a Topical Issue, and the answer has been to fob it off to somebody else, that the NTA can deal with it or somebody else can get involved. These are the people who get up early in the mornings and they are being left stranded by the Minister at the side of the road. Can the Taoiseach direct the Minister to take action and show leadership in this crisis?
