Localbusservice getsveryfewfares

February 1980

The public bus service which went into operation in Wexford nearly two weeks ago has met with little or no response from local townspeople.

According to the operator, Paddy Mulligan, publican and hackney driver, the service has been used by only ‘a handful of people’ over the past fortnight.

‘ There has been no great response at all. Things are very slow. When I’m doing the rounds at 10 a.m. in the morning, there’s no-one around at all; and it’s much the same in the evenings. A few people use it on Saturday evening all right, but on the first Saturday, there was no-one at all around.’

When news of the introduction of the service was first announced, it met with a great reaction around the town generally. It was generally considered that with its expanding population and outlying housing estates, Wexford town was ripe for a service of this kind.

Paddy is determined to carry on however, and says he feels that it is the kind of operation that would have to be given a two- or three-month trial. He has no intention of making a final decision on the matter yet, and intends stepping up his advertising campaign to ensure that people are aware of the service.

He is obviously disappointed at the immediate failure of the service to get off the ground, but points out that it is impossible to tell whether there will be a demand for the service after only two weeks.

It was originally thought that the service would be particularly welcomed by hundreds of housewives on the outskirts of the town, who would avail of the bus for daily shopping trips. But one observation that Paddy has made is that many of the housewives tend to shop in their local areas during the week, and only travel downtown to shop on Saturdays.