Progress on Plans to replace Suirway Bus Services

Green Party TD for Waterford, Marc Ó Cathasaigh has welcomed confirmation from the National Transport Authority that there is a Public Service Obligation (PSO) to serve local transport demand from Portlaw, Dunmore East and Passage East into Waterford City.

This follows on from the news of Suirway’s withdrawal from providing bus services from the 31st October and will ensure a continuity of service for people in these communities that rely on public transport.

“I met with Tim Gaston, the Director of Public Transport Services in the NTA last week, and I impressed upon him and his officials the need to move quickly to make sure the people of Dunmore, Passage East and Portlaw weren’t left high and dry and without access to a bus service. I am very pleased with this update from the National Transport Authority (NTA) and I thank them for notifying me of their findings today.”
“In real terms, the confirmation of a PSO means the NTA can now seek funding to provide an emergency replacement service to ensure that the people who rely on the bus on the 31st of October will still have a service on the 1st of November. From there, the NTA can move ahead to plan for the longer term, either awarding a direct contract to Bus Éireann or putting the routes out to competitive tender.

“I’ll be writing to Mr. Gaston again today to confirm the levels of service that will be provided on the routes affected. I hope that today’s announcement reassures individuals and families in the three areas most affected by the closure of Suirway, a family business which provided an exemplary service to the community for over a century.

“In the medium term, I hope we can work to improve the frequency of service to Passage, Dunmore and Portlaw, and also introduce the Leap Card readers on those services to make sure passengers, and younger passengers in particular, can benefit from the reduced fares on public transport that this government has funded elsewhere across the network.