THE MINISTER FOR Transport and the National Transport Authority have committed to a return of the Nitelink bus service in Dublin “as soon as possible” but an exact date is yet to be confirmed.
The nighttime bus service will not be in place for the reopening of nightclubs next week and several government TDs have expressed concerns about how staff and patrons will get home into the early hours.
A spokesperson for Transport Minister Eamon Ryan has said that the minister is “very keen” for a full restoration of the Nitelink but that this is an “operational matter” for Dublin Bus.
On 22 October all remaining Covid-19 restrictions are scheduled to be lifted, allowing pubs to ditch social distancing requirements and to operate past the current 11.30 pm.
The move essentially heralds the return of the night-time economy with nightclub promoters saying that events around the country are already sold out.
Despite the expected increase in people in cities at night over the coming weeks, a date for the return of the Nitelink bus service in the capital has not yet been confirmed.
Prior the to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Dublin Bus Nitelink operated on weekend nights and provided services into the early hours in the morning. During the Christmas period, Nitelink services were expanded to operate on extra nights owing to the increased numbers of people socialising late in the city.
The Nitelink service has not operated since the March 2020 lockdown and, as recently as this week, Dublin Bus has advised customers to check its website for updates on when the Nitelink will return.
The Dublin Bus website continues to say that the Nitelink is not operating “until further notice”.
In response to a parliamentary question Fianna Fáil TD for Dún Laoghaire Cormac Devlin, the National Transport Authority (NTA) has said there were “no current plans or a confirmed date to re-introduce Nitelink services”.
The NTA also said that it will consider the reintroduction of the Nitelink ahead of the Christmas period but did not provide a definitive date.
In a statement today to The Journal today, the NTA said it was working with Dublin Bus to ensure a return of the Nitelink “as soon as possible” but also pointed to the 24/7 services currently in operation and the plans another by the end of this year.
Dublin Bus currently operates three routes on a seven-day, 24-hours-a-day basis: Routes 15, 39a and 41.
“The NTA is fully committed to the provision of services to support the night-time economy as well as supporting those who work shifts that require travel at night or in the early morning. It is for this reason that the NTA has introduced a number of 24-hour services that operate seven days a week,” the authority said in a statement.
Additionally, it is planned to implement additional 24-hour services as part of the phased implementation of the revised BusConnects Dublin bus network, which is part of the overall BusConnects Dublin programme.The implementation later this year of C-Spine bus routes serving the Lucan bus corridor through to Ringsend and Sandymount will include 24-hour services. There are two further 24 services planned as part of the delivery of BusConnects network in Dublin in 2022.
“The NTA is also committed to re-introduce Nitelink services in conjunction with Dublin Bus as soon as possible. The NTA and Dublin Bus will update customers when we have a clearer timeline for restoration of Nitelink services.”
The Nitelink @dublinbusnews service will not return once we emerge from restrictions with the opening of the night-time economy.
— Barry Ward (@barrymward) October 11, 2021
I’m calling for the introduction of a 24-hour service for the 46a, to provide a non-stop public transport link for the people of #DúnLaoghaire. 🚍 pic.twitter.com/czdemrY3qX
The government has said that the 24-hour C-Spine from Sandymount to Lucan will be introduced “from the end of November” but, speaking to The Journal, Devlin said late night bus services are required before that.
“There’s a few of those services that will be in place by the end of the year but that’s not going to cut what I suspect is going to be a very busy period from the 22 October, which October is going to be very busy. People have been locked off for quite some time, and they’re going to get out,” he said.
I think the issue is that taxis can only cater for so much demand and we’re going to need an alternative services as well. That’s why Nitelinks are so successful and for a lot of people who live on the outskirts of Dublin, or in the greater Dublin area, taxis are just not affordable for them.
Devlin adds that he believes there’s been “a disconnect” between the public, the NTA and the Transport Minister over the demand that will be required after 22 October.
In a statement to The Journal, a spokesperson for Transport Minister Eamon Ryan said that the minister was “very keen” that the Nitelink service resumes.
“Minister Ryan is very keen that there be a full restoration of Nitelink services as soon as possible. This is important for those who work shifts as well as for the revival of the night-time economy which is being championed by Minister Catherine Martin. The NTA has advised the minister that it is working with Dublin Bus on this issue, which is primarily an operational matter for Dublin Bus,” the spokesperson said.
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