Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Today I raise the issue of the bus services - or perhaps I should say the lack of services - provided by Bus Éireann to the people of Monaghan. For people in Monaghan who wish to use Bus Éireann, the main bus travelling to Dublin is the Letterkenny to Dublin express, which stops in Monaghan. Last week an 84 year old lady was planning on going to Dublin Airport using Bus Éireann services to catch a flight. She stood at the side of the road along with a few others and waited for the bus to come for almost an hour. When the bus eventually arrived, the bus driver pulled up to inform her that there were no seats available on the bus. In a panic she had to ring a neighbour to rush her to the airport in order to catch her flight. I can only imagine the stress and annoyance that would have caused that 84 year old lady. For the people of Monaghan, the only show in town for those using public transport is buses. Surely the Leader will agree that some form of update should be provided to people, or some form of tracking device should be used, in order that people would know whether the bus is going to be five minutes late or, in some cases, over an hour late and whether there is any space on the bus. We can imagine that if people are using bus services to catch a flight or, like many people at present, to travel to hospital appointments in Dublin, or are among the many students who travel to college daily, it is important to know whether there is space available on a bus or whether it will appear at all.

It is an issue that needs to be tackled. I met the chief executive officer recently, who informed me that Bus Éireann planned to increase the daily services from Letterkenny to Dublin, which would have facilitated the people of Monaghan. He told me those services would be in place by September at the latest. It is now heading towards November and there is still no sign of those services. Clearly people are losing confidence in Bus Éireann and in the service it provides to the public. With that in mind I ask that the Leader invite the Minister into the House in order that we can address the issue to ensure that the people of Monaghan who wish to travel to Dublin and who have no other choice but to use buses can at least be sure the bus will arrive when it is meant to arrive.