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Irish Independent
18-07-2025
- Irish Independent
Dublin commuters call for ‘escalation' as service failures on S8 route continue
This news comes five months after the transport Minister promised a 'detailed review of the problem'. 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 issues have worsened in recent weeks, with buses vanishing from timetables and real-time tracking proving useless. One regular user said the situation has now become 'untenable'. 'Daily delays are leaving passengers late for work and stranded without reliable transport home,' they said. 'It is clear that the issue is escalating, and we are approaching the point where wider intervention is necessary.' They recalled six incidents this week alone where buses did not show up, were cancelled without notice or were significantly delayed. Commuters are calling for 'immediate and visible steps' to resolve the failures on the route. In a statement, Go Ahead Ireland it both 'acknowledges and sincerely apologises for any service disruptions', and said it is actively recruiting both drivers and mechanics. In February, the minister acknowledged rising public frustration over 'ghost buses' across several Go-Ahead-operated routes, including 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. Back in April, Go-Ahead Ireland claimed the S8 route was operating at 98pc of its scheduled kilometres, and that performance had 'significantly improved' since the beginning of 2024. One commuter says that even if 98pc of kilometres are being covered, it doesn't mean the actual timetable is being followed. 'What does that 98pc figure actually mean for me at a bus stop at 7am or 7pm, when the bus I need to get to work or home just doesn't arrive?' Social media posts about 'phantom' or vanished S8 services have been ongoing for months. Several commuters have questioned whether enough drivers are available to maintain the route, particularly during off-peak and evening times. The S8, which replaced previous routes as part of the BusConnects redesign, provides a direct link between the southwest suburbs and major employment hubs in Sandyford and Leopardstown. But without consistent service, passengers say the route is 'failing in its basic purpose'. Go-Ahead Ireland (GAI) said it 'can confirm there have been service disruptions on the S8 route'. 'These disruptions resulted from a combination of factors including traffic congestion, fleet availability, and operational challenges,' they said. 'GAI is actively recruiting both drivers and mechanics. Recently, 10 mechanics from outside of Ireland have been recruited and are due to join the team in the coming months. 'On 14 July, 2025, the 06.45am service from Dún Laoghaire Station to Kingswood Avenue serviced Foxrock on time at 07.02. The stop was also serviced at 06.47 and at 07.19. The 19.00 service from Kingswood Avenue also operated on time. 'We acknowledge and sincerely apologise for any service disruptions, whether within or outside of our control, that affect our passengers.' A spokesperson for the National Transport Authority added that it understands the frustration 'caused by cancellations and overcrowding'. 'We are actively working with the operator, Go-Ahead Ireland, to address these challenges,' they said.
Irish Times
09-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
TFI bus fare changes: See how journey prices will change in your area
Sweeping changes to bus fares will take effect from Monday for Bus Éireann and Go-Ahead Ireland services in Dublin and surrounding areas. The changes, which are part of a new Transport For Ireland (TFI) zonal structure, will result in some fares decreasing, some increasing and some remaining unchanged. New daily, weekly and monthly offerings for Leap card customers, based on zones, are also being rolled out. These cover journeys within a radius of some 50km from Dublin city centre. The price changes are being brought in as part of the National Transport Authority's (NTA) latest 'fares determination' plan, which it said would allow fares to be determined 'on a more equitable and easy-to-understand basis'. Bus and rail fares did not align with each other under the previous system but they will be 'fairer and more consistent' under this new 'single structure', TFI says. READ MORE The bus fare changes follow an overhaul of rail fares in the capital and beyond in early May and the introduction of a new zonal structure, which breaks the city and commuter areas as far as Kildare Town, Rathdrum and Navan into four based on proximity to the city centre. The 'TFI 90-minute fare' for journeys under an hour and a half within the new zone 1 – covering areas within a 23km radius of central Dublin – stays at €2 for adults, €1 for young adults/students and €0.65 for children with Leap cards. For Dublin commuter bus services operated by Bus Éireann and Go-Ahead, which are not eligible for the 90-minute fare, the fare for zone 1 travel will be €2.40 for adults and €1.20 for young adults, students and children using Leap cards. The NTA says payment by Leap card offers the best available value for commuters. New bus fares will be introduced from Monday, with prices tied to four commuter zones extending from Dublin city centre to neighbouring counties. Graphic: Paul Scott/ TFI The daily zone 1 fare cap will be €6 for adults, €3 for young adults/students and €1.95 for child Leap cards. The weekly cap will be €24 for adults, €12 for young adults/students and €7.80 for child Leap cards. Zone 1 has monthly tickets, priced at €96 per adult and €48 per young adult/child for all Leap card holders. Annual tickets, priced at €960, are available for adult Leap card customers. Zone 2 covers areas including Blessington, Gormanston, Skerries, Kilcock, Sallins and Naas, Greystones and Kilcoole. From next week, Leap card adult single bus fares in zone 2 will cost €3.70, while young adult/student/child card holders will pay €1.85. Zone 3 covers areas including Trim, Drogheda, Enfield, Newbridge and Wicklow Town. Here, adult bus fares will cost €5.30, while young adult/student/child card holders will pay €2.65. There will be an increase on the single Leap fare from Newtownmountkennedy to Dublin from €2.80 to €3.70. Meanwhile, the adult fare from Wicklow Town to Dublin is set to decrease from €6.16 to €5.30. There is no change to fares on bus services in Wicklow that are part of the Dublin city bus network, such as the L1, L2, L3, L14, L15, 45, 45a, X1 and X2. Zone 4 includes areas such as Navan, Kildare Town and Rathdrum. Adult bus fares in this zone are priced at €3.70 under the new plan, while young adult, student and child card holders will pay €3.15. The fare revisions will take effect on bus services in Kildare, including the 120, 125 and 126, and on bus services in Meath including the 101/X, 103/X, 105/X, 107, 108, 109/A/B/X, 111/A and NX. The new adult Leap fare from Amiens Stre to Newbridge is decreasing from €6.16 to €5.30. The fare for the journey from Newbridge to UCD is also dropping, from €6.16 to €5.30. However, Leap customers travelling from Edenderry to Dublin city centre will see an increase from €7.35 to €8.10. Fares on services operating in Kildare as part of the Dublin city bus network to Leixlip, Celbridge and Maynooth will not change. This includes the C1, C2, C3, C4, W6, L58, L59 and 52. There will be an increase on the single Leap fare from Navan to Dublin from €5.60 to €6.30 and from €7.70 to €8.10 for Athboy. The single Leap fare from Ashbourne to Dublin is to decrease from €3.36 to €2.40, while the fare from Ratoath drops from €3.64 to €2.40. The fare from Dunshaughlin is to fall from €4.06 to €3.70. Customers from Trim will also see their fare reduce from €7.35 to €5.30. For the first time, Leap products will cover travel on town bus services in Balbriggan, Drogheda and Navan.
Irish Times
23-04-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Tesla's profit slump and the ‘Elon factor'
Elon Musk's controversial involvement in US politics and a weak line-up saw Tesla report a 39 per cent slump in first-quarter profit after markets closed on Tuesday. Revenue and adjusted net income came in substantially below analyst expectations. Aviva Insurance Ireland gave up €70 million of net underwriting profit to its UK owner last year, lowering the profits of the Irish business, as it reinsured most of the motor, home and commercial insurance business written in the Republic with its parent. And they're not alone among Irish insurers, writes Joe Brennan. Private bus company Go Ahead Ireland says permission for a new bus depot in north Dublin would see it employ up to 450 workers and grow revenue by around €50 million per annum. Gordon Deegan reports on the planning application. In its latest World Economic Outlook report, the International Monetary Fund warns that the increase in tariffs and in the uncertainty caused by US president Donald Trump's protectionist trade measures would lead to a significant slowdown in global growth in the near term. But, writes Eoin Burk-Kennedy, it stopped short of predicting a worldwide recession. READ MORE Eoin separately looks as Central Statistics Office data showing that the State's national debt stood at €218.2 billion at the end of last year, equating to €40,550 for every man, woman and child in the State. Devotees of the 'financial independence retire early' (FIRE) movement adhere to a programme of living frugally, saving hard and investing. Their goal is to build a money pot that will enable them to quit work, sometimes decades earlier than the norm. But how does it work? And is it possible, or even desirable, to live this way? Joanne Hunt investigates. And as Dublin's four local authorities prepare the ground for the tax on hotel stays, John McManus notes that it amounts to little more than getting tourists to pay for local authority services rather than exercising latitude already available under Local Property Tax to raise the same amount from householders, albeit at the risk of an electoral backlash. Back on the news pages, shares in DCC , the energy to technology distribution and services group, fell in London as the £1.05 billion (€1.22 billion) it achieved in a deal to sell its healthcare unit to HealthCo Investment, which is owned by funds run or advised by London-based private equity firm Investindustrial Advisors, disappointed investors. Job postings were up 15.3 per cent in the first quarter compared with the same period last year, Matrix Recruitment says, but it fears the Trump tariffs mean there is potential for sharper-than-expected slowdown. Colin Gleeson reports And Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe has published the 11th annual progress update on the liquidation of IBRC – home to the remnants of Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Nationwide Building Society. Joe Brennan reports that it has handed over €250 million of surplus cash to the Exchequer last week, bringing total distributions in recent years to €360 million. Stay up to date with all our business news: sign up to our Business Today daily email news digest. If you'd like to read more about the issues that affect your finances try signing up to On the Money , the weekly newsletter from our personal finance team, which will be issued every Friday to Irish Times subscribers.
