Richard Boyd Barrett: Calls Bus Connects an 'absolute shambles'

Minister, late buses, ghost buses, cancelled buses, buses that go past you because they're packed at peak hours, areas that have been completely abandoned. Bus Connects is a shambles. Drivers stress to bits with the press-it-box system, being harassed, being disciplined because they can't meet ridiculous timetable, unrealistic routes and timetable requirements. It's an absolute shambles. It's a shambles for commuters trying to get to work, use the bus system, for older people, for disabled people, for students and for bus drivers who are harassed to bits and then compounded, all of that compounded with the privatisation of the system, with apps that tell different information. So if you go on Transport for Ireland app it tells you one thing, you go on bus times.org it tells you something else and reality tells you something else again. Right, it's absolute chaos. The NTA explain ghost buses as being a result of longer routes and cross-city routes. Yes, we told you that when Bus Connects was first designed. I mean some of the worst examples I'm getting are my own area, the E-spine routes. It used to be the 46A and other routes. My colleague Councillor Conor Reddy from Finglas says the same with the F-spine affecting Finglas and Tala and so on. In the first week of the F-spine in his area, 350 emails he got with complaints about buses not turning up and so on. Right, it's an absolute shambles. So the question is, what are we going to do about it? And of course the go-ahead, I haven't even got time to go into it, performing even worse than Dublin Bus, but the whole thing is an absolute shambles. So the question is, does the Government recognise the problem and what is it going to do about it? Thank you for taking the matter from Minister O'Brien, who apologises he can't be here this morning. As both of you know quite well, the Minister has responsibility for the policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. But now the Minister and his officials are involved in the day-to-day operations of the transport janitor service, that being wrestling with the NTA as you both have articulated and I'm not going to insult you by telling you that this morning here. Can I just begin by saying that I appreciate and acknowledge the remarks that you both made in the context of the experience of commuters and of the travelling public and I think it highlights the importance of the need for Bus Connects to be complete. Can I assure both of you that Government are committed to providing all citizens with reliable and realistic, sustainable mobility options and public transport plays a key role in delivery of this goal? As I said, it is unacceptable that members of the travelling public, as you both articulated, have experienced no buses, ghost buses or late buses and the reply given to you outlines a variety of reasons why there's bus cancellations and they'll be available on the record of the House. The issue of staff availability is an issue that's ongoing. It isn't just about Dublin, it's in Cork as well. The most frequent reason for bus cancellations on routes has been related to traffic congestion and traffic delays and I suppose the key point that I would make to all of us is that it isn't about lack of investment by Government. Government are committed to public transport. That's been seen in the budget allocation and I do appreciate that it is discommoding for members of the travelling public. It is unacceptable that buses have to be cancelled. It has an impact on passengers. That is unacceptable full stop and the frequent occurrence of this is in part because of the high volume of traffic. There is a variety of reasons as well but it is important to recognise that NTA have a responsibility in this matter. Phase 7 of Bus Connects, the F spine is a good example of the responsiveness of the NTA to the challenging environment in Dublin. The most extensive phase of Bus Connects to date, Phase 7 was launched on October 19th and whilst this did involve the removal of some services, new services and changes have been introduced including 24-hour spines F1, F2 80 and the F3 spine which aim to enhance connectivity across the capital and support Dublin's growing night-time economy. New and local radio services such as 23, 24, 73, 82 and the L89 now-star of areas including Ballymun, Finglas, Charlestown, Walkenstown and Liffey Valley. Following feedback from passengers and local representatives, alignment changes were made to a number of these routes and the NTA reviewing further amendments to the routes to tackle challenges to reliability. With regard to ghost buses, when a service is cancelled, the operator is required to cancel the service on the system that monitors bus locations and which feed the real-time information system, and while that generally does happen, there has been some occurrence with relevant operator personnel that did not input the cancellation in a timely manner. The NTA continues to monitor this item and to stress to the operators the need for timely inputs of cancellations where they occur. In addition, you spoke about the issue of the apps, Deputy Boy Barrett, and again, tomorrow on Question Time in the Dáil, there are a number of questions on the apps. It is unacceptable where people have to rely on different forms of information when there is an app available that should have in real-time the pertinent relevant information. I would bring your points back, both of you, in terms of the S6. I am not familiar, Deputy Murphy, with the actual route here because it is in my locality, but I would certainly look at the Instagram account and feedback to the NTA. It is unacceptable that if someone is waiting in some temperatures to wait for half an hour for a bus to Manute and if it does not show up, but I will take the points you raised this morning on behalf of people, and we are talking with people here who want to use public transport, and we must give them that certainty and that guarantee that public transport will work for them. Thank you, Minister. Mr. I have not even got time to go through the amount of issues, but I will try and get some of them out, right? With Bus Connects, a lot of areas were abandoned, particularly working-class areas with older populations. Finglas East no longer has any connection to the north inner city whatsoever. Ballantyre no longer has any connection to Dun Laoghaire. These are older populations. Why do you think they then get into cars, which increases congestion? The 46A and the 145, which are now the east spine routes, going past UCD, no longer have any connection with Euston train station, where many of the students come from, to these universities, right? It's crazy. We said this. Many of the spines going across the city, the reason they're crossing through the city, where they're guaranteed to get caught up in congestion, and we said in advance these things wouldn't work. And then privatisation makes it all even worse, because go ahead, don't give the same decent paying conditions to people, so they can't hold on to mechanics, they can't hold on to bus drivers, and as a result, they haven't got the people to actually provide the buses for the routes. It's a shambles, and the Government have to do something about it, not just say it's terrible. Deputy Murphy Murphy, Deputy Murphy Murphy. You might forward with Deputy Murphy Murphy, because it is important that we bring the feedback to the NTA, and can I just assure both of you that Minister O'Brien, Minister Kelly and I, and the Department fully recognise that transport connectivity is hugely important for people who live, work and study. And you mentioned the whole piece around Houston, Deputy Boyle Barrett. It does beg your belief that there's no link for Houston to the colleges you reference. It does, to be honest. Yeah, it does. But I do want to make the point that from a Government point of view, public transport and connectivity is key to revitalising our villages, towns and urban centres. By expanding the public transport network and increasing service levels, as outlined in policies like Connecting Ireland and Bus Connects, we are aiming to achieve more balanced region development and greater connectivity for all public transport users, and that's for all public transport users. Bus Connects has already achieved significant success in transforming Dublin's public transport network, notwithstanding the challenges that you've articulated this morning here. Just recently, research carried out for the NTA by Ipsos B&A funneled four out of five customers, have expressed satisfaction with the bus, with the services, road around the Bus Connects, and 45% believe that the bus service has improved. I know we have a road to go and we have a journey to travel in that. The NTA and the department will continue to collaborate with operators and customers to enhance the punctuality and reliability of services throughout the network we design. And I want to thank you sincerely for raising the matters this morning here, and I'd be happy to take the points you've made and I've taken notes of the issues you've raised, because it is about the travelling public, as I said, it is about members of the... Can I ask you some information? Absolutely, yeah, please, and I'm encouraging you to, because if we don't take the experiences of the travelling public on board, then we can't learn, and there are mistakes, there are gaps, and I'd be the first to say that. I see it in my own city of Cork, I'm not living in an ivory tower, I use the bus myself in Cork, so I recognise when I meet people with the... I go back to your fundamental point, it's to me crazy in a world where we're living with technology, where an app can't have correct real-time information for members of the travelling public, and that's, that drives people daft, and that increases the volume of emails to you, and the anger and frustration. So I'll bring you, I will bring them back for you. Thank you, Mr. Gremont. Thanks.