133 bus timetable will be changed

REPRESENTATIVE from Bus Eireann outlined a number of changes they plan to implement to bus routes providing services in Wicklow during a presentation at Monday’s meeting.

A new timetable is expected to be introduced on March 22.

The 133, 132 and Expressway service to Dublin Airport are all operated by Bus Eireann.

Stephen Kent, Chief Commercial Officer for Bus Eireann, said Bus Eireann plan to increase morning and evening services during peak times. The service will start at 5 a.m. rather than 5.30 a.m. and will feature departures every 20 minutes rather than the current 30 minutes.

‘We have spent months working with the NTA and have a timetable approved, We will be engaging with staff this week over the changes. We expect the timetable to be implemented on March 22. We believe it will be a more reliable and efficient service,’ said Mr Kent.

Around 300 trips are made every week from Wicklow to Dublin. Journeys are also up 5 per cent compared to a year previous. The 132 service had delivered around 15 per cent growth over the past year.

‘Traffic congestion has been our biggest bug bearer over the past three months. We have to deal with congestion, particularly in the Greater Dublin Area. It’s no different to what you experience in your cars,’ added Mr Kent

The 133 service has a 98 per cent reliability rating, while the rating for the 132 stands at 99 per cent.

Councillors thanked the Bus Eireann delegation for their attendance but weren’t shy of critiquing some failings in the services provided.

Cllr Paul O’Brien said most of the problems involving the 133 service seemed to take place in Dublin rather than Wicklow.

‘I got an email from a woman this morning that could not have been more appreciative of the service from Wicklow. However, there were problems on the return leg from Dublin. People are told the bus will be there in five minutes and it never arrives at all.’

Cllr Jennifer Whitmore pointed out that the 133 was the most complained about bus route in the country. It received 899 complaints per 100,000 passengers in 2018 - by far the largest number nationwide. Nationally, the average was 40 complaints per 100,000 passengers.

‘The 133 is a huge problem,’ said Cllr Whitmore.

‘I have had contact about teenagers left on the side of the road in the dark, people leaving their jobs because the service is so unreliable and other people having to purchase a second car. If the service isn’t frequent and reliable then people won’t use it.’

She also requested that Bus Eireann look into the 133 also stopping at Aughrim.

Last year Cllr Mary Kavanagh presented Bus Eireann with a petition signed by over 1,000 people seeking improvements to the bus service.

‘One woman’s comment stuck in my mind. She said late buses were not only affecting her husband’s work, they were also affecting his mental health. There seems to be a big gap between how Bus Eireann think they are doing and how the public think they are doing.’

Cllr Derek Mitchell said the vast majority of his constituents in the Greystones area use the 84X bus, for which he hears very few complaints. However, some constituents in Willow Grove and Newtown use the 133 service and had numerous complaints.

‘People are being left at the bus stops for a very long time not knowing what is going on. We need a more frequent service at peak hours and need to get traffic off the N11.’

Cllr Steven Matthews inquired if there were any plans to use hard shoulders on the N11 or for a park and ride.

Cllr Lourda Scott said delays to bus arrival times was causing considerable hardship.

‘Parents with young children are standing outside the Parkview at 6 a.m. only for the bus to pass right by them. Then they have to wait an delay going to work by another hour. There are also real failings in the complaints service and actually responding to complaints.’

Cllr Rory O’Connor recalled an encounter he had with a couple while recently waiting to catch a bus.

‘They asked me what time the next bus they needed was at and I showed them on my App. They said they couldn’t wait that long but the bus actually ended up coming 90 minutes early, without updating the App.’

Cllr Dermot O’Brien said it was difficult to encourage people to use the service when there were so many complaints about it.

Cllr Sylvester Bourke felt the service had improved since he first became a Councillor 20 years ago, but that further improvements were still required.

‘I use the service often. I do find it frustrating when waiting for a bus more than five minutes than the stated time. Also I noticed that family prices can be quite high. I have a family of five and the price for five people is often dearer on the bus than it is to take the car.’

Cllr John Snell heard one ten-year-old describe the 133 as the ‘worst service in Ireland’ to his mother.

‘Bus Eireann will be in trouble if the next generation are already thinking that in their mind,’ said Cllr Snell.

Cllr Peir Leonard called for a stop that had been discontinued in Arklow to be reinstated while Cllr Pat Fitzgerald stated that the cessation of certain services to St Vincent’s Hospital meant some patients, mostly elderly, had to order a taxi from the bus stop at UCD.

Mr Kent said a park and ride service would be in the best interests of Bus Eireann.

‘We would be very supportive where we can get them in. But, in reality we aren’t in control. We are only a consultee.’