Bus Éireann pledge to ‘add capacity’ to 109X route

Bus Éireann is set to add capacity on the Dublin to Cavan express route to meet passenger demand.

“Typically this would be having an additional vehicle available at peak times to provide more capacity. There wouldn’t be any change to timetables,” a spokesperson for the national provider informed The Anglo-Celt.

It follows discussions with the National Transport Authority, and comes after the Dáil was informed that, pre-Christmas, an 87-year-old man was left “waiting an hour and a half” for a return bus to Cavan because other buses were full.

“We are constantly encouraged to use public transport where available and to leave the car at home,” relayed Sinn Féin’s Pauline Tully recently, before explaining that buses are often already “at capacity” by the time they reach the last stop out of Dublin, at Blanchardstown, especially during peak hours from “about 4:30pm or 5pm”.

“In many cases the bus does not stop at all or it stops and there are one or two spaces available. It can leave up to 14 people behind at times. An 87-year-old man, who had attended an appointment at Connolly Hospital, was waiting an hour and a half for a bus and was very anxious because he thought he had missed the bus and did not know how he would get home.

“People tell me it can take three hours extra to get home if the bus is full when it reaches them. There is no shelter at the bus stop. Bus Éireann is aware of the issues but has not dealt with them. If we are serious about climate change, we need to create a reliable public transport system.”

Reacting to a question submitted by the Celt, a spokesperson for Bus Éireann said that the company “recognises” the demand for services has “increased”, and acknowledged that as a result, there have been “capacity pressures” on some routes, including the 109X.

“We know that this has resulted in some poor individual customer experiences at times, and we apologise sincerely for that. The congestion arising from Christmas shopping in the Blanchardstown area also had a particularly negative impact on this service in that pre-Christmas period, as you have mentioned.”

The spokesperson added: “We have identified a way to add capacity and to alleviate this issue for customers on the 109X route. We are working with the support of the National Transport Authority to implement this solution.”

However, Bus Éireann state that the situation regarding the provision of a bus shelter at the Blanchardstown stop remains a matter for the National Transport Authority.