After an absence of almost one month, a bus service to cater for the day centre at St Francis Primary Care Unit in Newcastle, has been reinstated, a move which has been welcomed by Independent TD Catherine Connolly.
The bus service ceased on April 4 as it appeared the bus was “unfit for purpose”. More than 60 people, with an average age of 80 years, attend this centre on a weekly basis, the majority of whom are reliant on the bus service. According to Dep Connolly, the withdrawal of the service “added to the stress of the service users and their families”. She also understands that instructions were given to users and their families to “use private cars”, a move, she said, which would only “add to the traffic congestion on the city’s roads”.
The bus service was re-instated on Tuesday May 1. Dep Connolly said that while this is “a very positive development” steps “must be taken” by the management of the centre “to ensure a bus is always available for this service” given the “profile of the users and the congestion on the roads”.
