There was some agreement amongst commuters in Eyre Square that public transport in the city, for the most part, is up to scratch. However, those who avail of buses and trains also widely remarked on what can be done to improve the services.
Buses
Consensus was reached amongst those who lined the bus stops that the city buses are always clean and comfortable, and also that bus drivers are very professional. In saying this, there were common suggestions for enhancement mentioned by many people.
Regular commuter Sandra, who gets the 407 bus, spoke about the necessity for more reliability in bus arrivals. She said: “At 9:45 this morning the bus never came. At 2:45 last Friday the bus never came either. My friend and I waited for over an hour, and I ended up getting a cold because I was so frozen.” She also said that “the take-off of the buses is very quick, and I have actually seen people fall.”
Darragh and Emily, who get the bus to ATU every day also say that the service needs to be more reliable. Darragh said: “The 401 is dodgy. We take it twice a day to ATU and back and it is packed, sometimes we cannot get on.” Emily also added: “Wednesdays are usually the worst. On the Wellpark stop, sometimes it is not there for an hour. Other times it doesn’t come at all and we have to get a taxi.”
Others spoke about the general consistency of the buses, but made other suggestions on how the service could be improved. Ali said that the bus is usually on time, however he added that a bus tracker, perhaps similar to ones deployed for taxis on the FreeNow app, would be helpful to people. Joan King said: “I think that young people should go upstairs and that old people be allowed to stay downstairs. That would make it easier for older people.”
There were also those who were plainly complimentary of the bus service. Ishama said: “The bus is good; it is always on time for me. I can come and go every morning.”
Trains
Train commuters were also generally content with the standard of the service provided to them. It was widely agreed that cleanliness and comfortability were of a high standard onboard, but some suggestions were also made about how the service could be improved.
Mark Tanguay said: “I would not mind a few more trains, a bit more frequent. I think that the Galway to Limerick train should be every two hours.” Regular commuter Daniel said: “On the weekends and on Friday there are way too many people. Sometimes I could be stuck on the boarding platform between carriages and will not get a seat.” Michael also said that the train was very comfortable but that Wi-Fi in first class “was not very good.”
