'Buses are breaking down' - cancelled routes and ghost buses in Waterford city
Bus breakdowns are commonplace across Waterford city, councillors were told.
Cancelled journeys and ghost buses haunted the latest Metropolitan District meeting at Waterford City Hall.
Councillor Frank Quinlan raised a widespread issue with Transport for Ireland (TFI) across Waterford city and county. He said: "On their website there were 25 cancelled routes in the last few days alone."
"I discovered then that it's not driver's being sick or traffic problems, it's actually maintenance issues with buses. The buses are breaking down."
He went on: "Only yesterday I saw one break down on The Quay. There's people that have been left stranded, people with hospital appointments, collecting kids from school, going to work, and there's just no consideration whatsoever. They're literally not fit for purpose."
The Fine Gael Councillor requested a letter be sent to the Minister of Transport and TFI to ensure more reliable service.
He added: "We're trying to get people out of cars, on to buses and encouraging them to use public transport. But if they're breaking down and the services and routes are cancelled with no notice given, people stranded in all sorts of weather, you wouldn't blame them for getting back into their cars. That creates the traffic in Waterford."
Metropolitan Mayor Cllr Adam Wyse agreed to bring the issue to the Minster for Transport, Darragh O'Brien, at an event the following day, commenting that the current situation was "not good enough".
