‘The wheels of the bus go round and round’

This week’s column in The Kerryman newspaper.

Michael Commane

The Local Link bus system is now well embedded. Buses are traversing across the roads of the State, linking towns and villages. It must be the most exciting addition to public transport in Ireland in a long time. And Kerry is no exception. I doubt there is a town or village that is not served by the Local Link system.

Last week on RTE’s Today with Claire Byrne there was a conversation about how to keep safe on the roads with the advent of winter. A long-time cyclist stressed the key to safety is personal behaviour. We can have all the lights, bells, helmets and hi-vis jackets, but above all we must behave correctly. And that applies too to our Local Link bus service. Personal behaviour is the key. If we are not willing to get out of our cars and travel by bus, then how can we expect the State to continue supplying us with the service?

Why don’t more car users leave their vehicles at home and use the bus? We simply have to change our way of thinking. Climate change is real. 

May I make some suggestions, which I believe will enhance the service across the county. There are five weekday services between Castlegregory and Tralee, indeed six on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. 

I get the impression it’s not fashionable or cool to be seen taking the bus, indeed, dare I ask, is it a class issue? I have no doubt the generations to come will look back on the status symbol of the car and laugh at our silliness. All forms of slavery impede our progress.

To the operator, may I suggest they tweak the timetable so that there is more coordination with trains to and from Tralee. The setup at the stop at the bus station in Tralee is pathetic. No sign where the bus stops, no timetable on display, poor lighting. It exudes depression. There is a tiny timetable in the Bus Éireann complex, but when that office is closed, no timetable available.

One gets the impression there is no partnership or talking between Bus Éireann and the Local Link provider and that makes no sense at all. 

I thought the whole purpose of Transport for Ireland (TFI), which was established in 2009, was to create a seamless national transport system. 

But obviously that’s too much to ask, especially when Bus Éireann and Irish Rail don’t seem to talk to one another at all. There’s no attempt to link the Dingle Tralee bus with trains to and from Tralee. 

One absurd example; a Dingle bus arrives in Tralee at 15.01, train departs 15.05. Would you chance that? Every weekday there are 10 buses from Tralee to Dingle and nine from Dingle to Tralee with just two of those services offering a convenient connection with the train.

Why not  advertise inside and outside on the Local Link vehicles? The print on the current poetry display board in the bus is far too small; large print, very large print is a must on a bus, but it’s a great idea, as is Local Link.

I like the Jack Nicholson quote: ‘We live, we die, and the wheels of the bus go round and round’.