THE GROUP ORGANISING the Save the 19 Bus campaign in Dublin says it’s frustrated by the lack of response to its concerns by Irish officials – and will therefore bring the issue to the European Court of Human Rights.

The group says it will lodge a complaint at the ECRH against Dublin Bus, the National Transport Authority and the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport  Leo Varadkar “based on their decision to scrap the 19 Bus on 27 August 2011, leading to a 65 per cent reduction in service and untold hardship for commuters across the city”.

“Since this decision,  many elderly residents from this area have been housebound and unable to access shops, medical facilities, social outlets and religious services”,  said Geraldine Gough, chief organiser of the north side part of the campaign.

Gough said that the Glasnevin area was one of  the worst affected, as it offers no transport alternatives such as Dart or Luas. “(Glasnevin) also has the  lowest car ownership in Ireland. The disabled and elderly feel discarded and isolated and many are depressed at being treated so badly by a public funded body like Dublin Bus,” she added.

The campaign highlighted that meetings held by Dublin South Central, Dublin Central and Dublin North West councils have all resulted in motions being passed that condemn the decision of Dublin Bus and the NTA.”The councillors acknowledged the horrific impact on children going to school, people going to work and on the elderly and disabled in particular,” the campaign said in a statement released today.

Another of the campaign organisers, Tina MacVeigh, said that despite a petition campaign to save the bus route – which had yieleded 13,500 signatures – and a detailed submission to the National Transport Authority supported by 37 local representatives of the affected areas, Dublin Bus had “ignored the voice of the people and their public representatives  as they  axed a service that had served these communities since the 1940s”.