Commuter slams 77A bus service for being unreliable
A KILLINARDEN commuter has criticised the 77A bus service for being unreliable and added that the community “has practically no bus service” as a result.
The commuter, who asked to remain unnamed, said the issue has worsened in recent months and is affecting her elderly father when he’s travelling to and from hospital for cancer treatment.
“My dad has cancer and half of the time there is no direct bus service for him to get to the Luas,” she told The Echo.
“So it means he has to get a taxi to link with the Luas so he can get his treatment on time. “This would cost him the best part of €12 to €15.
“He is an old-age pensioner who has a bus pass, but he can’t avail of it because of the lack of buses in Killinarden Heights.”
The commuter said she has contacted Dublin Bus about the issue on several occasions but to no avail, as she said there continues to be no improvement in the 77A service in Killinarden.
“We have gotten onto Dublin Bus several times about the lack of 77As,” she explained.
“The excuses can be from anti[1]social behaviour, there’s no drivers, there’s drivers out sick, traffic, eggs being thrown at the buses . . . the bus is at the community school and will be at your stop in two minutes, which never turns up.”
The issue is exacerbated by conflicting information on the real-time screen, and the Dublin Bus and Transport for Ireland apps about when the bus is due to arrive, according to the commuter.
“If the Dublin Bus app says there’s a bus due in five minutes, the TFI bus app would say it’s not due for 15 minutes,” she said.
“Then the digital timetable would say it’s due in another 25 minutes.
“Dublin Bus have told us to ignore the TFI app and just go by the Dublin Bus app – but one advantage the TFI app has over the Dublin Bus app is that the TFI app tells you if the bus is cancelled.
“We have addressed this issue with Dublin Bus before, but I felt like they weren’t listening.”
The Killinarden resident said that she hopes the issue can be resolved but has been left unsatisfied by Dublin Bus’s responses to her and her father’s complaints thus far.
“When on the phone to Dublin Bus to see where the bus is, my dad and I have both felt like we were talking to a brick wall trying to get answers on why there hasn’t been buses,” she said.
“The customer service is terrible.”
The Echo contacted Dublin Bus for comment, but a response wasn’t received at the time of going to print.
