Decision to be made on operator for delay-hit Limerick bus route

THE NATIONAL Transport Authority (NTA) is weighing up proposals from companies to operate a delay-prone bus route in Limerick.

Bus line 310 links the city to Annacotty, travelling via Ballysimon Road, Towlerton and University of Limerick.

Councillors wrote to the NTA with several complaints about the service, as it is running at the moment.

Labour councillor Elena Secas pointed to buses not showing up, two-hour long journeys making people late for work, and the fact only prepaid Leap cards were accepted on board.

The contract between the NTA and the current operator of the service, Dublin Coach, was due to expire this month.

But in a letter to councillors, Hugh Creegan, the interim chief executive of the NTA said this deal had been expanded until October.

This was done to allow the completion of a tender process for a longer-term operator of the service.

It’s expected a new contract will commence in October.

It’s unclear which firm this would be, with the option open to Dublin Coach to reapply should it wish.

In the meantime, Mr Creegan wrote: “The NTA will continue to monitor performance under the current contract and apply financial penalties where the operator fails to achieve the performance standards outlined in the contract.”

In a follow-up query from Limerick Live, a spokesperson for the NTA said it is hoped that a contract award will be made by June.

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“Key performance indicators in the contract will include punctuality, reliability and service quality,” they added.

Cllr Secas said the 310 contract was given on an emergency basis to Dublin Coach in November 2022, and at the time urged the NTA to ensure a new provider was in place in time for the end of this deal.

“Not only has this request been ignored, but the NTA has allowed an unreliable and substandard bus service to persist, despite numerous complaints being submitted. One must question where the accountability and responsibility lie within the NTA,” she said.