By Emily Hilliard
Everyone has been there before, you’re going to an important meeting, friend meet up, concert, lecture, etc and you’re forced to use the ever so reliant Transport for Ireland. You get to the stop only to find the bus has gone from 5 minutes to “Scheduled at” followed by a time it will more than likely never arrive at. Frustrated, you wait for the next one, only to find that that one has been cancelled. Finally, you get on a bus nearly 40 minutes later, only to find yourself waiting another 10 minutes at the next stop because the bus drivers have to switch.
This issue is nationwide with the public being outraged and taken to social media to express their complaints with the NTA (national transport association) and TFI (transport for Ireland). Often on X, Tiktok or on news outlets such as Newstalk, the problem will be discussed in great and long details through debates or describing personal experiences.
Compared to our geographical neighbours who have positive renown for their underground and transportation system, we often receive a bad reputation for unreliability and inconvenience. If you forget your leap card or are a tourist, you must use coins. With all these changes in routes and national transport company changes/redesigns, one would think another immediate change essential would be to add a card reader for bank cards on transport. One however, would be wrong.
The problem with all these cancellations and inconveniences can also cause major issues for the bus drivers who face constant aggression and verbal abuse despite the issue being with the overall TFI company and not the individual drivers who arrive when they are supposed to and do their job transporting the public.
The frustration is from all parties involved, except apparently the TFI who have for years not taken action for these outcries. The solution is the TFI needs to up their game if they are going to constantly be changing routes people are used to and not giving ample time for people to prepare. Provide more reliable buses and stick to a schedule posted on the app and or the time at the stop.