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Irish Independent
23-04-2025
- Irish Independent
Dublin commuters call for action as ghost buses remain an issue on S8 route
The S8, which connects Kingswood Avenue to Dún Laoghaire and passes through major employment zones like Sandyford and Leopardstown, has once again come under scrutiny. Commuters on the route, operated by Go-Ahead Ireland, say it is 'failing to run according to schedule'. One regular user said so-called 'ghost buses' are causing significant disruption for employees who rely on the service. Another commuter recently had to get a taxi to the Luas station at Windy Arbour to get to work due to the unreliability of the S8 bus route. 'This isn't the first time I've had to take a taxi to cover a journey I should be able to make on a public bus,' the passenger wrote in a letter sent directly to Transport Minister Darragh O'Brien's office. In February, the minister acknowledged rising public frustration over 'ghost buses' across several Go-Ahead-operated routes, including the S4, S6, N6, 114, and the S8. At the time, he said the National Transport Authority (NTA) was taking the issue 'very seriously' and that additional resources were being allocated to bus operators. However, passengers and local councillors say the problems persist. The Knocklyon Network facebook group, which represents part of the community impacted by the reliability issues on the S8 route, has said the issue of ghost buses, sudden schedule changes and poor communication are a point of severe frustration. 'We are sure many of the people on this page have experienced ghost buses, time changes, buses out of service , etc. It is an ongoing situation and there does not appear to be anyone taking responsibility for it,' they said. ADVERTISEMENT 'Surely, the Minister for Transport needs to take action with the various bodies that are failing us. NTA, Dublin Bus, Go Ahead, TII, TFI.' They added that recent incidents are 'not isolated' and the removal of real-time app displays at bus stops in the area, coupled with frequent cancellations and unreliability of the S8 route, has made daily commutes 'highly unpredictable'. The community group has asked for a 'thorough investigation' into the reliability of the S8 route, including accountability measures for consistent service cancellations. Green party councillor Oisín O'Connor said the NTA should be publishing reliability figures by route number. 'At the moment, they publish the statistics on reliability and punctuality by bus operator, but they're not showing which bus routes are doing well and which bus routes are not doing well when it comes to reliability,' he said. 'The other thing is they're publishing these stats months and months after the day of reporting, so by the time there's an issue, the public, the media, politicians don't find out about it properly in terms of hard data until months after disruptions happen. 'The way data is reported at the moment, it's hard to see whether there's been improvements or issues,' he added. A spokesperson for Go-Ahead Ireland said: 'Go-Ahead Ireland can confirm it has recently experienced occasional localised service disruption on the S8 route. 'This has been caused by heavy and unpredictable traffic and has on occasion been further exacerbated by roadworks. 'Overall, based on the most recently available monthly figures, the S8 is delivering on over 98pc of its total contracted kilometres. 'However, we do acknowledge and apologise for any service disruption that impacts passengers,' they added. The Department of Transport has been contacted for comment.
Irish Independent
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Government ‘clearly doesn't trust Dubliners' as vote stalls on directly elected mayor
Green Party councillor Oisín O'Connor is calling for Dublin TDs to 'step up to the mark' and give Dubliners the chance to have a 'greater say' in how the city is run. 'The Government needs to put the question to a public vote,' he said. 'It should be up to the people of Dublin to decide if we want to have a more direct input on the future of our city by directly electing a Mayor of Dublin. 'Government ministers from across Ireland don't trust us, Dubliners, to make decisions about our own city. 'They're trying to distract us with sensationalist sound bites about how irresponsible Dublin voters could be if given the chance to directly elect a mayor with real powers and resources to improve our city. 'Are Dublin TDs of government parties going to stay quiet while their party leaders hold back our capital city for fear of a Dublin Mayor showing them up?' he added. Cllr O'Connor referenced the Citizen's Assembly, chaired by former Dublin GAA football manager Jim Gavin, which recommended a directly elected Lord Mayor who would be accountable, with mechanisms for removal if necessary. 'This is not just about the position of the Directly Elected Mayor for Dublin - this is about reforming local government across our capital city to bring decisions closer to the people,' Cllr O'Connor said. 'The Dublin Citizens Assembly published its report two and a half years ago, making 18 recommendations on how the government should roll out a Directly Elected Mayor and broader local government reform, giving more power to councillors and the new Mayor on housing, childcare, infrastructure and transport.' The Green Party is calling on the government to bring forward plans without delay, and publish the details of what powers they propose the Directly Elected Mayor would take charge of. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more They are asking for a wide information campaign about the proposed changes and demanding a date be set for Dubliners to vote on a directly elected Lord Mayor. Green Party leader Roderic O'Gorman TD highlighted that the 2025 Programme for Government has less focus on Directly Elected Mayors than the 2020 programme negotiated by the Green Party. 'It's clear the sounds from government are that they're no longer truly committed to devolving power to local government in this country, rolling back on a commitment given by the previous government to give all local authorities the option to introduce a Directly Elected Mayor for their area,' he said. Catherine Stocker, a Social Democrats councillor, is also advocating for a directly elected Lord Mayor of Dublin with real powers to address the city's challenges in housing, transport, climate, healthcare, and more. She's bringing a motion to Dublin City Council, urging the government to act on the recommendations of a 2022 Citizens' Assembly. Cllr Stocker argues that current local government structures are 'too limited' and Dublin needs a strong, accountable leader who can create and implement a vision for the city, like mayors in London or Paris. A spokesperson for The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage said: 'The Programme for Government commits to the establishment of a Local Democracy Taskforce to finalise a programme for the reform and strengthening of local government. 'The membership of the Taskforce will include Local Authority elected member representative bodies, Local Authority executive representatives, the National Oversight and Audit Commission, the Department of Housing Local Government and Heritage and a number of independent experts. 'The Terms of Reference for the Taskforce are currently under development in the Department and these will have due regard to the commitments in the Programme for Government. 'Following further consideration and input from key stakeholders, they will be brought to Government for approval, and the first meeting of the Taskforce will take place as soon as possible afterwards. 'The 2022 Dublin Citizens' Assembly was asked to consider the type of directly elected mayor and local government structures best suited for Dublin. Its final report was presented to the then Taoiseach in January 2023. 'In June 2023, the Houses of the Oireachtas referred the report to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage for consideration of its recommendations and the Committee reported back in December 2023. 'The Citizens' Assembly Report proposed the holding of a plebiscite on the question of a Dublin Mayor. 'While supporting such an approach, the Committee's Report recommended that a plebiscite be held only after a General Scheme of a Bill for a Dublin Mayor was developed, so that there is full clarity on the detail of the proposal. 'The Programme for Government commits to supporting the office of the Directly Elected Mayor of Limerick and considering further plebiscites in Dublin and other cities. 'The Dublin Citizens' Assembly report and recommendations, and the Committee's Report, are under consideration by the Department,' they added.
