Poor standards on Go Ahead bus routes must be addressed

TD for Dublin South West Seán Crowe recently called on Minister Eamon Ryan and the National Transport Authority to address the atrocious standards being delivered on bus routes served by Go Ahead Ireland. Teachta Crowe was speaking from outside the Department of Transport at a Sinn Féin demonstration to highlight Go Ahead Ireland’s poor service right across Dublin, Meath, Kildare, and Wicklow.
 
Teachta Crowe said “Commuters across south Dublin are fed up to the teeth of the poor service being delivered by Go-Ahead Ireland. “Late buses, no shows, over-crowding and generally poor service standards on commonplace on the routes that particularly commuters and school children rely on. I have received numerous complaints in just the past week about the 17, 116, and 175 being especially bad for no shows and late arrivals.
 
“I had one woman on to me saying that she and her partner had been abandoned in Dun Laoghaire when the last two buses of the night were cancelled without warning and they were left to pay for a taxi. This woman was subjected to a needless expense when there should be a functioning bus route. “This is causing serious problems for people who rely on these buses and very little is being done by the Minister or the regulator to fix the ongoing issues. “People are literally being left stranded on the side of the road. This type of service will drive people away from using public transport.
 
“Go Ahead Ireland are a number of years into their contract, so we simply don’t accept this is still teething problems. “Sinn Féin warned the privatisation of our bus services would drive down standards, as profits would be prioritised over punctuality, reliability and customer service.
 
“Go Ahead’s Irish subsidiary made a €2.6m profit last year, which is hard for commuters to stomach given the poor service they are experiencing on the ground. “If Minister Ryan wants more people to use public transport, he needs to ensure buses are on time and reliable. He needs to get on top of these problems. We will never get people out of cars when they cannot be confident in the alternative.
 
“The National Transport Authority needs to stop treating Go Ahead Ireland with kid gloves and use their regulatory powers to ensure the service on these routes is improved both greatly and quickly.”