Too many trains miss the bus every day

This week’s Mediahuis Irish regional newspapers’ column

Michael Commane

A letter in The Irish Times of October 22 caught my attention.

It’s worth quoting the letter in full.

Sir, - Last week I had a most enjoyable hotel break in Mulranny. I took the train to Westport but then had a very long walk (in the rain) to meet the bus bound for Achill soon after.

Why doesn’t the bus meet the train?

A cost-free initiative in one of the finest tourist areas in the country. 

Am I missing something? - Yours, etc, Dominic Gallagher.

No, Dominic you’re not missing anything.

Did you know that Bus Éireann has discontinued its Dublin Limerick service? I find it incredible that our State bus company does not operate buses between Dublin and a major city. It means that if you want to travel from Tralee to Dublin using Bus Éireann you have to go via Cork. I am aware there is a private company that operates between Tralee, Limerick and Dublin. If they can make it work why can’t Bus Éireann?

The letter writer prompted me to do some timetabling investigations.

During the summer a new service was introduced between Dingle and Tralee. There are nine buses every weekday between Dingle and Tralee and 10 between Tralee and Dingle.  

Any time I have been on the new frequent service there have been fewer than 10 passengers on board. I’m wondering why so many buses on the service. I’ve been told that Bus Éireann no longer draws up the timetabling and that now is done by TFI - Transport For Ireland.

 

There are eight trains a day serving Tralee/Cork and Dublin and seven in the opposite direction.

If a passenger wants to travel from Dublin/Cork or any of the intermediate stations to West Kerry then there is only one Tralee Dingle bus that meets the train. It’s the same story in the opposite direction.

Just one simple example a bus arrives in Tralee from Dingle  at 15.03, the Dublin/Cork train departs Tralee at 15.05. I doubt two minutes gives a passenger time to get from the bus to the train, even at a sprint. 

The majority of arrivals and departures mean that passengers have to wait an hour for connecting between train and bus.

Ticketing too is not fit for purpose.

It is absurd that there is not a ticketing system in place that allows a passenger to buy a through ticket that covers bus and rail outside the Dublin commuter belt. And tickets should be interchangeable between different transport companies.

This sort of nonsense is happening at a time when we are all being told to get out of our cars and use public transport as much as possible.

Bus Éireann CEO Stephen Kent highlighted last week the role the company plays in cutting carbon emissions. May I humbly suggest that he and the TFI team try to design timetables that are more passenger friendly. 

And I’d much prefer to be called a passenger than a customer.