THE BUS ÉIREANN strike begins now.
So if you’re a regular user of their bus service, do you know how you’ll get around today?
Updates are available on the National Journey Planner or on Bus Éireann’s website, but if you’re unsure about how to get around today – or what prompted the strike – here’s where to start.
What’s the strike about?
Management at Bus Éireann say that the company needs to implement severe cuts if it’s to survive as a company – that includes pay cuts, overtime cuts and changes to bus routes.
Unions representing workers at Bus Éireann aren’t happy with the measures proposed by management to save the company. Although they accept that ‘efficiency changes’ must be made, they say that the proposed changes disproportionately affect drivers.
After months of negotiations, including a bout at the Workplace Relations Commission, efforts at finding a resolution between the two sides collapsed – leading to management implementing their plan without the unions’ backing, and resulting in an indefinite nationwide strike by the unions.
So how do passengers get around?
BUS
While the main Bus Éireann routes aren’t in operation, here are the routes that are running:
School buses
GoBE (Cork to Dublin)
Translink (including Goldline and Ulsterbus)
Other public and private operators running today include:
Dublin Bus, Dublin Coach, and Aircoach services will operate as normal, and Citylink‘s routes to Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Cork aren’t affected.
Kennedy Coaches, meanwhile, are promising to bring students (and non-students presumably) from Galway, Limerick, and Cork home for the weekend.
Cork‘s suburban bus network is run by Bus Éireann, so it has no services. Nor does Galway or Waterford.
Kilkenny, Nenagh, Thurles and Clonmel are still being served by Bernard Kavanagh and Sons’ private bus.
Limerick’s EuroBus service is unaffected by the strikes. Bus Feda will be operating between Donegal and Galway while Wexford Bus will be running as usual from Wexford. City Direct will be running across Galway city.
None of the country’s 36 rural transport schemes have been affected.
RAIL
There are significant disruptions on some Intercity rail services today after train drivers refused to pass pickets by the Bus Éireann drivers in depots where both trains and buses operate.
The full list of disruptions can be seen here and will be updated throughout the day.
Iarnród Éireann has said that other rail services will operate as normal but that customers should expect higher demand than usual.
You can view their timetable here; but remember that Bus Éireann tickets are not valid on Iarnród Éireann services.
Luas
Luas services are operating as per usual – but expect more people than usual.
DRIVE
Although the roads are usually much quieter on Fridays, it’s unknown how busy it will be today because of this industrial action.
If you’re planning on driving, Parkopedia shows how much parking costs across Dublin, Cork, Galway, Kilkenny, Waterford and Limerick, so you’re not left too out-of-pocket.
There are also Luas park-and-rides located around Dublin.
CYCLE
If the weather is dry and if you’re fit enough, there are public bike schemes available to rent in Dublin, Cork and Galway and Limerick (it’s not as complicated as it looks).
Word of warning
While the National Bus and Rail Union representative Willie Noone said that while they didn’t ask Dublin Bus or Iarnród Éireann to join the strike (legally they’re not allowed to), he said that some workers at these two transport groups had been in touch to say that they weren’t comfortable passing the picket.
This is because some depots are shared between Bus Éireann, Iarnród Éireann and Dublin Bus, and could mean some of these routes are affected – though that doesn’t look likely at the moment.
Finally, expect a bit of a rush on roads and railways, and give yourself more time to get to work, school, college or the airport.
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