Michael McNamara (Clare, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I note that, last August, Bus Éireann stopped serving Daly's Cross near Castleconnell and Birdhill on the Expressway service from Limerick to Dublin because it was served by other operators. Customers who wish to obtain an Expressway service need to go to Nenagh. I have never had to avail of the service, for which I am glad, given my limited observations. I recall being in Nenagh two years ago. As the bus was about to leave, a woman honked her horn and flashed her lights to indicate that she had a passenger for it, but the bus pulled off. I was going home via Birdhill, so I went that far and asked the bus driver why he had pulled off when there was obviously a passenger to be picked up. I appreciate that it is Seachtain na Gaeilge, but the answer I received would not be readily translatable into Irish.

As a common citizen, I wrote to Bus Éireann about this matter and received no reply. Then I wrote as an elected representative and was assured that the matter would be investigated in the normal course of events and I would be informed of what happened. I did not hear anything.

The next encounter I had with Bus Éireann in Nenagh was to bring a passenger to the bus. I arrived approximately two minutes before time. I appreciate that perhaps I should have arrived an hour beforehand, seeing as how Mr. Nolan compared Expressway with Aer Lingus and Ryanair. However, I arrived ahead of time, as did a group of other people. We were told by someone else that the bus had left five minutes before time. I was not alone in this. I am not the only one who has had these misfortunate episodes in Nenagh while seeking to avail of an Expressway service. I wrote to the company outlining that the bus had left at least five minutes before its scheduled time and that there was a group of people present. I gave the company the contact details of the other people because I bothered to take them. I am still waiting for a reply.

If Mr. Nolan wants to compare Bus Éireann with Aer Lingus and Ryanair, he is free to do so, even though it might be a little bit ambitious, but Ryanair is learning that customer service is important. It at least replies, albeit not very well, to some customer service queries. I do not expect the witnesses to reply to the specifics I have raised, but is there someone among them to whom I can send all of this correspondence and expect a reply?

I appreciate sometimes buses can be delayed and that it is no fault of the bus driver. Accidents happen on roads, there is extra traffic, etc. At the very least, can we have an assurance buses will not leave earlier than they are scheduled, leaving groups of people standing in Nenagh wondering what to do for an hour while they wait for the next bus?