Bus service failure
Deputy Lahart described a severe failure on the 15B bus route and said it showed a wider public transport systems problem. The Taoiseach said the case was shocking and would be raised with the Minister.
I am raising the issue of public transport again. This Government and the previous Government committed heretofore unknown and unseen resources into public transport. What I want to raise may initially sound like the failure of a bus route but it points to a larger systems failure which both the Government and the Minister for Transport, Deputy O'Brien, need to look at. This is from a constituent working in the city who has no other option but to travel to work by bus, which happens to be the 15B service in Rathfarnham. She said that today alone was a pure example of the dreadful service the public must face. This constituent arrived at the bus stop at 7.20 a.m. to discover the 7.25 a.m. bus was cancelled. The 7.39 a.m. bus then arrived full and the following two buses showed up on the app as being cancelled, with the next bus due at 8.15 a.m. Given there was no way she would make it into work for 9 a.m. by risking waiting for the 8.15 a.m., this woman was forced to take and pay for a taxi. This is quite typical and not exceptional. I would like the Taoiseach to take this on board with the Minister for Transport to see how we can address this apparent systems failure.
Comment on this
I thank Deputy Lahart for bringing home the reality of our bus services for consumers and users. We are endeavouring to encourage people to use our buses but this is a truly shocking story. I will bring this to the attention of the Minister. We have recently heard quite a number of cases like this.