Bus Éireann 132 service slammed by locals

A BALTINGLASS residents’ group ‘Baltinglass Matters’ has started a campaign to highlight the shortcomings of the 132 Bus Éireann service, which runs from Connolly Station to Bunclody via Tullow.

The campaign has generated a lot of support from frustrated residents. A number of local politicians have taken up the issue.

On Monday 25 May, the ‘Baltinglass Matters’ Facebook page released a statement which said: ‘It has become all too frequent for Bus Éireann’s 132 service to have cancellations. Today’s 5.30pm service from Dublin (the last of the day) was cancelled without warning. This left commuting workers, students and shoppers to sort their own way home on the hottest day of the year.

‘This is just the latest failure on this route. They happen so frequently that getting the 132 is like gambling at roulette. The main excuse for the shoddy service is the recurrent breakdown of the older of the two buses. Commuters on the route would be better able to depend on the service if BÉ allocated one new bus to the 132.

‘Last year, they were to increase the frequency from four a day to eight a day. That, too, was cancelled at the last minute. Currently, they aren’t even providing the four regularly. BÉ is contracted to provide this service by TFI – Transport for Ireland. What TFI actually does is a mystery. It doesn’t matter how undependable Bus Éireann is, TFI does absolutely nothing about it.

‘From now on, ‘Baltinglass Matters’ will highlight all reported failures of service on the 132 route so that Bus Éireann’s disregard may be measured and recorded.’ 

Transport for Ireland responded to ‘Baltinglass Matters’ statement by saying: ‘Dear customer, we are contacting you with a further update in regard to your report. Your comments have been brought to the attention of our service delivery team and requested that they continue to monitor this service. We would like to reassure you that every effort is made to provide the best possible services to passengers at all times, within the resources available. Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention, again please accept our apologies for any distress caused to you on this occasion.’ 

Since the statement was released, ‘Baltinglass Matters’ have reported that two bus services on Tuesday 26 May did not depart – the 12.30pm service from Dublin and the 3pm departure from Baltinglass to Dublin.

Carlow councillor Adrienne Wallace raised the issue of the unreliability of the 132 at a Carlow Municipal District meeting on 28 May, saying that she knew people who had missed hospital appointments because of the disruption.

“The National Transport Authority are so bad about coming down here and meeting councillors. They are funded by taxpayers, they are meant to be providing a service, a service that is essential for so many people,” cllr Wallace said.

Wicklow Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore raised the issue with minister for transport Darragh O’Brien in a Dáil debate on 19 May. Minister O’Brien responded: “As minister for transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport; however, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport.” 

He then told deputy Whitmore that he had forwarded her question to Bus Éireann for a reply and to get back in touch if she did not receive a reply within ten days.

In response to the launch of the campaign, Wicklow Fine Gael TD Edward Timmons said that he had “requested an urgent meeting with the relevant management team to discuss the ongoing issues with the 132 service and to push for more immediate action on behalf of passengers”.