Bus services on 30 routes to halt

WITHDRAWAL BY Bus Éireann of services on 30 of its routes and reductions in 70 others will be phased in from February 28th.

On that date eight rural routes which the company says have low passenger numbers will be stopped completely.

Reductions in the number of departures on 22 routes and alterations to the areas served on some will also commence.

The changes are expected to affect about 4 per cent of the company’s customers, while the economic downturn had resulted in a 10 per cent drop in customer numbers.

The National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) has accepted the changes but employees in Siptu have rejected the plan, which also sees 250 voluntary redundancies.

Fine Gael transport spokesman Fergus O’Dowd said that such cuts in services need not have happened if there had been proper competition in the market.

He believed more competitive prices and better deals for commuters would have increased usage. The cutbacks sent out a “very negative message about the way the current public transport system in Ireland is run”, he said.

Announcing the changes yesterday, Bus Éireann said the implementation of changes was part of its cost recovery plan, as recommended by the Labour Court.

The overall package of changes on all 100 services is aimed at saving between €12 million and €15 million for the company.

A spokesman said yesterday that “we apologise for the changes and have tried our best to minimise the inconvenience for passengers”.

“We have a long and proud history of service in rural Ireland. These are not changes that we chose to make, but that we have to make.”

Changes in the remaining services will be announced on a phased basis in the coming months. The company said it had been reducing its cost base, and after internal talks, discussions at the Labour Court and assessment by consultants Deloitte, the changes had been agreed.

Defending the withdrawal of a number of services including Dublin-Portumna, Ballyvourney-Cork and Tralee-Cork via Naad, the spokesman said some services had very few passengers. “On the Portumna-Dublin route, there may be only three passengers,” he said, adding there were alternative routes and a private operator.

Fine Gael said that “with Dublin Bus also slashing routes and jobs, CIÉ is clearly not up to the job. Bus Éireann has blamed the cutbacks on the recession. But much of the problem lies with the near monopoly which the Fianna Fáil Government has granted CIÉ. We need a completely new approach to public transport which lets private sector operators on to the pitch.”

Bus Éireann stressed that the economic downturn had resulted in a significant drop in demand for public transport because of the “fall in the number of people in work, the drop in the number of non-Irish nationals in the country, the significant slowdown in retailing, and a substantial reduction in the number of tourists visiting Ireland”.

Bus Routes: Withdrawn And Reduced Services

Withdrawn services:

ROUTE 122Portumna-Dublin (once daily each direction). Bus Éireann says "there will be alternative high-frequency services on main portions of the route are available along the Dublin-Athlone and Dublin- Tullamore corridors".

ROUTE 71Cork-Roscrea-Athlone (once daily each direction). "Alternative services on main portions of the route are available – Cork-Clonmel-Kilkenny-Dublin, Cork-Dublin via Portlaoise, Cork- Cahir-Horse Jockey and from Birr-Athlone."

ROUTE 210ACork city service South Mall-Mahon-Jacob's Island (14/15 departures in each direction each day). "Alternative services available – Route 2, 10 – within 500m of 10A routing."

ROUTE 231Ballyvourney-Cork (once daily each way). "Alternative services available – Route 40 (Cork-Tralee high-frequency service) and Route 233 Cork-Macroom."

ROUTE 102Ardcath-Dublin (once daily each way). "Alternative higher frequency services available from adjacent locations – Ashbourne, Duleek or Kilmoon Cross."

ROUTE 271Tralee-Cork via Nadd (twice weekly). "Public and rural transport services available along the route."

ROUTE 418Galway-Kiltullagh (once daily Monday to Saturday). "Alternatives – 7.20 departure from Athenry. Rail service available from Athenry."

ROUTE 255Macroom-Ballingeary-KealkilKilcrohane (Saturday only, twice).

Reduced services:

ROUTE 40Cork-Tralee (cut from 13 to 12 daily each way).

Service will operate on the main road via Ballyvourney only.

ROUTE 337Miltown Malbay- Ennis (Two departures down to one daily).

ROUTE 329Kilfinane-Limerick (one departure fewer from Kilfinane mid-week and one fewer from Limerick on Saturday).

ROUTE 14Limerick-Killarney (one departure fewer from Killarney).

ROUTE 110Navan town service (reduction in frequency on routes A, B and C, and change in routing on Route B).

ROUTES 186/189Drogheda-Clogherhead-Grangebellew (amalgamation of two routes. Route will no longer serve Togher Cross).

ROUTES 440/441Dooagh-Westport: one departure daily each way.

ROUTES 490/487/491/494Ballybofey/Letterkenny/Strabane: route change and reduced service.

ROUTES 362/364/366/386/387/ 388Dungarvan local services (routes altered and cancellation of services to secondary locations).

ROUTES 459/459aAthlone town services (reduced frequency).

ROUTE 52Galway-Ballina (down from seven to six daily).