Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In Limerick, I drive a car, cycle my bike, walk to work and take local buses where I can, and I mostly take a train when I come to Dublin. The train to Dublin, which I have been taking for seven years, is almost always on time. Unfortunately, the buses in Limerick are a different story. Public transport needs to be safe, reliable and affordable. If it cannot meet these three crucial criteria, people will not leave their cars at home and avail of public transport. It is as simple as that. Without a significant decrease in the number of private car journeys, we will struggle to meet the 2030 emission targets. In our alternative budget, we proposed an €195 million investment in public transport, cutting fares, investing in a new rail infrastructure and making public transport safer and more accessible. Our progressive proposal shows we can cut emissions while delivering social and economic benefits for citizens.

I thank the thousands of public service workers who work in our buses and trains, providing a vital service every day of the week.

Prior to speaking today, I asked in my constituency for feedback on public transport in Limerick. Constituents came back with a huge number of comments, queries and suggestions, mostly about buses:

Caherdavin [bus] 302, late a lot of the time, need extra buses to deal with the crowds at L.I.T. stop and no early Sunday service.

305 St Marys Park [bus] there is days where the bus is a no show - St Marys Park bus stops at 5.30pm how is that fair to the people down here?

304 ...[I] have to always get the earlier bus in case the one that would have me on time doesn't arrive

303 ... is shocking bus is never on time and more than likely doesn’t come or 2 show up together [I] have been sending complaints for weeks and haven't heard back once for something that is so highly recommended because of the cost of living its not reliable

Mainly use the 303 and 302 main problem is the buses not turning up either on time (late or early, early often causing someone to miss the bus) or buses not arriving at all

I use the [bus] 304 or 304a from Mary I to Garryowen and vise versa. It's a[n absolute] nightmare. Faster walking most days because the bus is never on time and then 2 or 3 [buses] come at the same time.

30[3] in weston is beyond a joke countless emails sent to them u have to get the bus well over an hour beforehand ...[Often] if ur waiting in patrick street the out of service sign is put on and no bus after half 6 no consideration for working people [whatsoever.]

306 bus never on time and often doesn’t show up at all, only one per hour its a disgrace especially for elderly and disabled people of Ballynanty or for any[body] in fact living there.

I use the 306 [bus on the] Ballynanty route all the time when it turns up. Every second bus doesn’t turn up. The bus route needs to go back to the way [it was] before and we need 2 buses an hour like all the other routes...

I got the 304 bus for 5 days a week for 5 years. I don’t think it ever came on time. The frequency was so bad it would often take a [supposedly] 20 minute trip over an hour.

304/304A will pass out passengers in UL or go as far as town and let passengers off in town as no drivers to continue journey this is on a daily basis.

Waited 40 for the 303 yesterday in Delmege park, a bus service that is meant to be every 15 minutes, not the first time it happened

The Westbury bus is rarely on time one time I was only seconds from the bus and he pulled away

That is what people are telling me. The bus service does not work. People cannot rely on it or get to work on time. It is always delayed or does not turn up.

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