Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Continuing on the theme of encouraging people onto public transport and making it safe for them, I have to raise the deteriorating standard of public bus services in County Meath. We are at a crisis point in my county. On the 103 service, which services big and busy towns like Ashbourne and Ratoath, 20% of services were cancelled on Monday, more than 10% were cancelled on Tuesday and 15% of services were cancelled yesterday, Wednesday. Today, it is the same. The same applies to the 105, 109 and NX routes, which service really busy towns and carry people who have transferred to public transport in places like Ratoath, Ashbourne, Dunshaughlin, Navan, Kells and Duleek. The service is at absolute crisis point, and it needs an intervention.

This is having a huge impact on workers and families. There are people who are late for work or cannot make work. I have one constituent who had a responsibility as a keyholder, and was not able to fulfil that responsibility. There are missed college lectures and hospital appointments. People are late picking up kids from crèches.

It is causing untold hardship to people. At this stage it is an absolute disgrace. What adds insult to injury is how communities and their representatives from across the political spectrum have been dealt with by Bus Éireann in particular and the NTA. This has been raised at the Oireachtas committee. The NTA and Bus Éireann are due into us next month but it will not wait until next month. We need urgent and immediate intervention to ensure there is a contingency plan in place for the thousands of commuters who are being let down in County Meath on a daily basis. We hear from Bus Éireann that there are challenges in recruiting drivers and mechanics and, because of that, in the delivery of fleet and the delivery of services. However, it is simply unacceptable in this day and age that people are left at the side of the road, and that buses are cancelled at an hour's notice. Hours of buses have been cancelled. It has to be addressed. I call on the Minister to intervene directly with Bus Éireann and the NTA, to meet with local public representatives and to address this issue.

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