Bus service not student friendly claims Ruth

A KILLARNEY college student who is spending over €200 a month on bus travel to Tralee, has labelled Bus Éireann prices ‘ridiculously high’.

Ruth Carey (21), a Business student in IT Tralee, says Bus Éireann’s timetables are ‘completely disastrous’ and claims she is paying prices significantly higher than commuters typically pay on Dublin Bus.

Speaking to The Kerryman after highlighting her concerns on social media, Ruth says that while the service is a lifeline for her studies, she is not alone in feeling that timetables and prices can be greatly improved, particularly when compared to other bus companies.

“Of course, Dublin Bus may be different to Bus Éireann but you can buy a month’s ticket to anywhere around Dublin for €90 and I’m ending up spending that much alone in two weeks on just 10 trips in and out.

“These are trips that people are making every day, they should not cost so much.”

Ruth also questions Bus Éireann policy over their 10-trip ticket.

“I am paying €42 a week for a 10-trip ticket, which I have only recently been informed is only valid for seven consecutive days. This means that if you decide at any stage to get a lift home – or perhaps stay over in Tralee one night – you are immediately losing out on a trip.

“It doesn’t make sense, you should be able to take that trip whenever you need it, they should really just call it a seven-day ticket because that’s what it is.”

Ruth said the company’s timetable needs radically overhauled if it is to provide a student-friendly service.

“They’re not there when you need them. If I’m finished college at 2pm and I want to get the bus home, I can’t because they run every two hours at 10 minutes to the hour, so I’ve to wait around for almost two hours until next one.”

“Obviously this just from my own personal experience, the timetables are convenient for some people but for many others like myself, it’s baffling,” she finished.

When contacted by The Kerryman, Bus Éireann said it operates two relevant routes: Tralee-Killarney and TraleeCork via Killarney. Both routes have trips that operate via the south and north campuses of IT Tralee on a daily basis.

“Weekdays, we have 13 services per day operating each way between Tralee and Killarney between the two routes,” a company spokesperson said.

“Our timetables are designed to meet the requirements of our customers operating directly to the college each morning for 9am and returning directly from the college at 4.20pm and 5pm to Killarney each evening, as well as the 13 services from Tralee Bus Station.

“We offer a number of different ticket types to passengers such as single, day return and 10 journey tickets, as well as more long term commuter tickets via the Taxsaver scheme.

Bus Éireann confirmed that a 10 journey ticket, priced €42, is valid for seven days travel but added that the fares are significantly reduced from the regular student fares to Tralee.

Killarney student Ruth Carey who says she is frustrated at Bus Éireann prices from Killarney to Tralee and has asked the company to make their timetable more student friendly