Public Transport
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-26
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Ruth Coppinger (PBP), Dublin West

Congestion, drivers, mechanics, breakdowns and all sorts of reasons are given. Is it not some reflection that we cannot get workers to work in these services? As the Minister knows, one of the issues with Go Ahead is that it has reduced conditions compared with Dublin Bus. Drivers were eating their lunch on the side of the road at one point.
However, I want to talk about the 238. It is absolutely unacceptable that between 4.2% and 8.2% of the bus journeys on the 238 route are cancelled every week. How can up to 8% be acceptable at any time? The people paying the price are ordinary working people. It is also ironic that they are trying to introduce parking charges in Blanchardstown centre. The 238 is the only bus people in Tyrrelstown have to get to Blanchardstown centre and yet they are meant to be taking that bus. Many of the people work there, by the way.
I draw the Minister's attention to the impact it is having. There was a very good article in the Dublin Inquirer interviewing people in the area. A woman, Ms Bernie Casey, talked about her 23-year-old son and said it is affecting his work. Some of her son's friends have lost their jobs in the centre because of it.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-26/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:42+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-26