Public transport in Drogheda is now in a state of complete breakdown, and a complete plan of action must be implemented immediately to overhaul the network, including a vital service guarantee of buses serving hospitals .
Aontú rep for Louth Michael O’ Dowd says.
“Over the last fortnight alone , the Moneymore route has suffered daily cancellations, the Brookville stop was removed as part of a planned route change but without consultation, and passengers on the East Meath routes have faced major disruption with buses missing, delayed or simply never turning up. This is having real consequences — people are missing hospital appointments because the town’s bus system can no longer be trusted This is a totally unacceptable situation.
The consequences for the public are severe. Elderly and vulnerable passengers are being stranded late in the evening, parents cannot rely on services to collect children, and hospital patients are missing vital appointments at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital after cancelled buses leave them with no way to travel. Elderly people, some of whom can least afford it, and who already have free travel are having to fork out money for taxis. They simply cannot be expected to wait in the freezing cold and rain with no idea when — or if — the next bus is coming.
Moneymore has faced entire blocks of morning and evening services cancelled with zero notice, including days where three or four consecutive buses simply did not show. Residents, including older people, families and patients, are regularly stranded for long periods with no accurate information. The planned removal of the Brookville stop was carried out without consultation, signage or communication, leaving a whole community cut off and forced to walk long distances to an already unreliable service.
Chronicling the list of service failures O’ Dowd says
“East Meath routes between Drogheda, Laytown, Bettystown and Mornington are now suffering major disruption, with frequent peak-time cancellations, 30–60-minute gaps, and “ghost buses” shown as “due” on the TFI app that never arrive. Buses that do operate are regularly overcrowded because previous services never ran.
Despite these failures, Drogheda still has no real-time information boards on West Street, at the hospital, in Moneymore, or at any of the key East Meath connection points. Passengers are left guessing in the cold. Until proper real‑time information is installed, Bus Éireann or TFI must station a staff member on West Street during core hours to give live updates and support passengers. If necessary, temporary staff should be hired to fulfil this duty.
The TFI Live app continues to fail local passengers, listing cancelled services as “due,” showing buses arriving that never turn up, and regularly failing to load accurate route information. This adds confusion and leaves passengers unable to plan their journeys.
This is now a systemic failure across the network. In recent weeks Drogheda has experienced multiple mass cancellations in a single morning, major disruption on the Moneymore and East Meath corridors, and route changes executed without community engagement. The level of service is unacceptable for Ireland’s fastest‑growing town.
Michael O Dowd is calling for immediate action in the following areas:
(1) Temporary Bus Éireann/TFI staff on West Street until real‑time displays are installed. (2) Review and reinstatement of the Brookville stop with full consultation. (3) A service guarantee for hospital-linked and East Meath routes. (4) Installation of real‑time information boards across Drogheda. (5) A fixed deadline to repair the TFI Live tracking failures. (6) Publication of a 12‑week cancellation log for all Drogheda services. (7) A public meeting involving the NTA, Bus Éireann, councillors and community groups. (8) A commitment that no future route changes will occur without proper public consultation.
