Dublin Bus routes to be curtailed in Tallaght

UPDATE: Following discussions between Dublin Bus and trade unions today, buses will not terminate at The Square in Tallaght – but some route restrictions are in place. More HERE. 

ROUTES serving West Tallaght will be curtailed and will terminate at The Square Shopping Centre at 6pm every evening starting today, Thursday, January 12.

The move, which has been brought forward by unions SIPTU and the NBRU, is in response to the worsening issue with anti-social behaviour that has been affecting bus services in the area.

Last December, there were 34 reported instances of anti-social behaviour affecting buses, drivers and passengers, primarily in West Tallaght, during the course of the month.

The instances included assaults on drivers, an assault on a passenger, projectiles such as eggs and stones being thrown at buses, vandalism and verbal abuse.

As a result, the 27, 77A, 65B, and 56A routes will be curtailed every evening “until further notice”, according to NBRU official Sean Yeates.

The 27 and 77A will terminate at The Square, and the 65B will follow the 49 route from the Old Bawn Road and will terminate at The Square.

The 56A will go left at Cookstown Way and down through Belgard to The Square, with none of the buses going past The Square.

The 65 route to Blessington and Ballymore will be unaffected by the curtailments.

Sean Yeates from the NBRU told The Echo that the increasing issues with anti-social behaviour, exacerbated by a lack of garda resources and engagement from local representatives, have prompted the move.

Mr Yeates said the curtailments will be in place “until further notice”, pending a resolution to the problem.

“We’re looking to sit down with Dublin Bus, the guards and community representatives to get a long-term resolution,” he added.

A spokesperson for Dublin Bus was not immediately available for comment.

However, on its website Dublin Bus said that it is “engaging with both trade unions to resolve this issue” and will update customers later this afternoon.

Customers have been advised to visit Dublin Bus’ website HERE or its social media channels for updates.