Go-Ahead Ireland have been slammed after buses disappeared in north Dublin.
Residents in Fingal have called for Dublin Bus to take over the 33A and 33B bus routes after repeated cancellations have left school children and workers stranded at peak hours. The two bus routes are currently operated by Go-Ahead Ireland and connect parts of north Dublin to the city centre, Dublin Airport, and other towns.
However, repeated cancellations are leaving passengers stranded, with the 8am 33B bus service being cancelled for a third day in a row as of this morning. Corina Johnson, a Labour representative in Fingal, has received countless calls from commuters expressing their frustration at the no show buses.
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She believes that the National Transport Authority should not seek to renew their contract with Go Ahead Ireland when it expires in October 2023. Corina told Dublin Live: “I think it’s regrettable but it’s my view that we need to bring back Dublin Bus, and the people who have contacted me say the same.
"We’re also in a situation now that as fuel prices increase people will be turning to public transport more and more. We need to ensure we have a reliable service."
The 33A bus connects North Dublin towns such as Balbriggan and Skerries to the city centre and Dublin Airport, while the 33B connects commuter areas such as Swords and Portrane with one another. Ms Johnson has received endless calls from commuters who are concerned by the repeated cancellations, which often occur during early morning commutes.
One resident, who has been relying on the bus routes for over 15 years, told Corina that the same issues did not exist when Dublin Bus operated the routes. Another told her she has received three written warnings from her employer due to the absent buses.
She now arrives at the bus stop two hours ahead of work to arrive on time. Go-Ahead Ireland took over the operation of the 33A and 33B buses back in 2018.
While there were reportedly some minor issues with the bus service after the takeover, most of the complaints have been made in recent months. Ms Johnson thinks cancellations are also impacting on Go-Ahead customers in other parts of the city, partially because the transport provider is currently operating on reduced timetables.
The transport provider told her they were not currently in a position to confirm the reinstatement of full timetables. She added: “I know that an issue with the public transport industry is that they’ve been hard hit trying to bring levels back to pre pandemic activity.
"However, my understanding is that Go Ahead customers are experiencing more cancellations than users of other bus service providers. It’s our view in this point and time that they now need to look at terminating their contract and bringing Dublin Bus back."
Local Labour TD Duncan Smith has also been active alongside Ms Johnson in trying to resolve the issue for commuters. They have contacted both the National Transport Authority and Go Ahead about the unreliability of the service.
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The NTA has previously stated that the cancellations are occurring due to difficulties in staff retention and training, as well as frequent absences due to Covid-19 guidelines. Ms Johnson hopes that the issue can be resolved for the sake of the many commuters who rely on bus services in daily life.
She said: “We need a reliable bus service all across Fingal and people should be able to rely on it. We shouldn’t have to expect cancellations and people should be able to get to work and school on time. It’s not a big ask.”
Dublin Live have contacted Go-Ahead Ireland for comment on the situation.
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