Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I am really disappointed. This Topical Issue was first scheduled for 23 April. The Minister was not available and I was asked whether I would postpone it until he was available, which was today. Unfortunately, he is not here. That is very disappointing.

I want to discuss issues relating to BusConnects for Wicklow. I have a number of concerns. The primary one arises from reports that Go-Ahead is contracted to manage BusConnects for Wicklow. When the public found out that was the case, there was concern because the reputation of Go-Ahead in Wicklow is very poor. Constituents are continually on to me about poor service, no-shows and treatment of passengers.

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There are many concerns about it and questions must be asked as to how a service that is proving to be such a poor service has actually managed to be awarded another contract.

There are a few specific points. I have spoken to people in Enniskerry. There is one Go-Ahead service that runs an hour from Enniskerry but oftentimes the buses just do not show up at all. There are breakdowns and the buses are consistently late coming from Bray. Last week the 1.30 p.m and the 2.30 p.m. buses did not arrive. People had a three-hour wait for a bus to bring them 20 minutes away. It is completely unacceptable. People are missing medical appointments. Elderly people are being left at bus stops for hours waiting for these services. I was told that this bus service had previously been run by Dublin Bus and people were very happy with it. It was a very good service. Despite the fact there were fewer buses the reliability was there. People are very disappointed that Go-Ahead has received this contract. People are requesting that the No. 185 service be returned to Dublin Bus because of the better service that was provided.

I have also spoken to a lady from Bray who has epilepsy. She was on a bus, she took a seizure and she was violently ill. She was kicked off the bus. She was made to clean up before she was put off the bus. When she wrote to Go-Ahead to complain there was no apology from them. They just acknowledged what had happened but offered no apology. These are the kinds of service and experiences that people are having.

I am repeatedly told that parents worry about their children who are using the service to get to school. The bus does not show up and they cannot get to school. Parents are leaving their young adults on the road at night waiting for buses to show. There is a multitude of examples to show that Go-Ahead really needs to up their game. I believe that people's concerns are valid when it comes to this new service being provided to them.

I have a number of concerns around BusConnects, which was first mooted in 2018. This is when the public consultations happened. This area in north Wicklow has now grown considerably and we have thousands more people and much greater demand. I am aware the NTA conducted a revised proposal but I still do not believe that the planned service will actually meet the needs of the community. I would ask that they keep it under close review to ensure that it does. In addition, many of the services are now going through the interchange in Bray. Unfortunately, Main Street in Bray is absolutely grid-locked all the time. This route is a bad idea. Buses are just going to get caught on it. The Main Street is not ready to be the focal point of a bus route at this point in time. Would they consider having an interchange at a different point outside Main Street that would just allow buses to move more frequently? I am interested to hear where we are with the update and when these services will come into play.

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