"COME TO NAVAN MINISTER RYAN, TO MEET THE COMMUTERS WHO MISS HOSPITAL APPOINTMENTS , FLIGHTS AND WORK DUE TO ‘GHOST’ BUSES" - Cllr Emer Tóibín
Aontú Cllr and Meath East General Election candidate Emer Tóibín has thrown down the gauntlet to the Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, asking him to come to Navan for just one week to experience firsthand “the haphazard public transport services Meath commuters are forced to endure”.
Cllr Tóibín says
“Missing job interviews, hospital appointments, flights, trains and other important engagements is the daily lot for the hard-pressed commuters in Navan and the wider county of Meath who have what can only be described as a deplorable public transport service. The stress of worrying about getting to work on time on time takes its toll”''
“It’s bad but it’s getting steadily worse. When buses actually do turn up, people can’t get a seat as there are more passengers than seats and in the rare event of a bus arriving on time, it can have several broken seats or can break down as happened last week . I would like to see Minister Ryan having to contend with the oft-torturous experience of standing on a packed bus for almost two hours every day for what should actually be a 55 minute journey each way”.
“'One commuter told me he would have to give up his job were it not possible for him to work from home 3 days a week. He describes the hours spent every week trying to get to work as ‘soul destroying’ and there is nothing in the offing to indicate any improvement”.
“Another commuter told me that she dreads September, knowing that she will spend hours just trying to get to and from work, a depressing and dismal prospect”.
“Commuters who are trying to cut down their car journeys have no alternative but to return to their car and drive to Dublin for work. And this is under the watch of a Green Minister for Transport, it’s beyond belief”.
“Bus Eireann surpassed itself recently when it cancelled 9 journeys in the one day, many at peak time, leaving hundreds of commuters absolutely stranded and seething. The knock-on effect of all these cancellations on customers is immense and extremely trying. All this could not happen at a worse time for commuters as they brace themselves for what now is the annual surge and scramble for seats on the bus with the additional demand on capacity by college students”.
“We know Meath's population is one of the fastest growing in the entire country. The government knows this. The census shows this clearly. And the age demographic puts Meath's young cohort amongst the highest on the island. But when it comes to planning and future-proofing demand and capacity, government action is at best reactionary. Again it points to a complete lack of planning by this Government”.
Cllr Tóibín says that
“While the HR and Maintenance departments of Bus Eireann have made progress in recent months with their recruitment campaign for heavy vehicle mechanics, they are seeing several pinch points where parts from vehicle manufacturers are just not available”.
“While they say their maintenance department is working closely with all suppliers to overcome these issues, this gives little reassurance to commuters for now considering THE EXTRA CAPACITY DEMAND BY students AND NEWCOMERS TO Navan to public transport. Existing capacity and reliability issues need serious prioritisation and focus now before additional demand is added to the mix”.
“Nothing beats a personal experience for effecting change , so my invitation to Minister Ryan is on the table, I’m very happy to stand in the bus queues in Navan with him to waiting for the ‘ghost services’ so he can see for himself what commuters have to endure.
