Sinn Féin Councillor Conor D. McGuinness has called on Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan and the National Transport Authority to ‘do the right thing’ and row back on their ‘disastrous’ changes to the Local Link Route 361, which ran very successfully from Ardmore to Dungarvan, via An Sean Phobal and An Rinn.
Cllr. McGuinness said:
“Government must reinstate the old 361 route and row back on the disastrous changes imposed late last year. No one sought these changes, no one asked for them, no one campaigned for them. They were simply imposed from the top down by a failing Government eager to be seen to do something.
“These changes have made the service next to impossible to access for most of its previous users. The previous route allowed a great deal of flexibility when picking up and dropping off passengers. The current configuration allows for only two stops between Ardmore and Dungarvan – meaning that it is effectively unusable for anyone that isn’t within walking distance from those two stops.
“Route 361 ran very successfully for many years, connecting Ardmore with Dungarvan and serving An Sean Phobal and An Rinn. The service was always well used and held up as an example of excellence in rural public transport.
“Many of the regularly using the service were teenagers and older people, for whom the service was a lifeline. These are the two demographics most impacted.
“Loyal passengers have been left high and dry but at least Eamon Ryan got his headline. He has “expanded the route and increased capacity” – the service now runs a bigger bus and goes as far as Youghal. The Minister doesn’t seem to care that the bus is almost empty as the vast majority of users can’t access the service. The hypocrisy of a larger bus, burning more diesel, and offering less of a service is obviously lost on him.
“To add insult to injury, this is the same Minister who refuses to intervene to keep postal services in the Weest Waterford Gaeltacht – so now pensioners from the area must travel to Dungarvan, but in many cases can’t avail of a bus service without walking miles to a stop.
“The simple solution is to row back on the disastrous change. The silence of Minister Ryan’s colleagues in Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael has been deafening. They are more concerned with keeping their seats for the next few months than with confronting a Minister who seems to have long ago abandoned common sense. “
Conor D. McGuinness TD 