PRESS RELEASE STOP CUTS TO LOCAL BUS SERVICES

People Before Profit Alliance in Ballyfermot and Clondalkin are calling on local people to support busworkers and fight cuts to the bus services in their area.

Dublin Bus is to lay off 300 employees and cut 120 routes across the city. This amounts to one tenth of the total bus service.

Brid Smith (People Before Profit candidate for Ballyfermot/Drimnagh) said today that “these cuts to services will hit the most vulnerable the hardest.  Route 206 which services the Drumfinn area five times per day will be gone.

Drumfinn is an area that fought hard to get a service for its aging population who will have genuine difficulty making the long trek to the main road.

Route 78A will have at least 20 departures per day cut from the existing timetable. Everyone knows that this is one of the most used buses in Dublin. There will most certainly be longer gaps between bus services on the 78A.

By undermining the frequency of the service in this area Dublin Bus will force people away from using the buses and lead to further cuts and more redundancies.”

Gino Kenny from Clondalkin People Before Profit said “Any cuts to Route 78A will be devastating for the people of North Clondalkin who rely on this service to get to work, to town , to schools and hospitals.

On top of this they are getting rid of the 210 Route which connects the people of Clondalkin with Tallaght hospital. How crazy is that?

Dublin Bus tells us peak hour service on 78A will not be affected. But what about the times off-peak when many elderly people, shift workers, outpatients to hospitals and school children rely on the service?

The company’s plans make no sense economically. By taking buses off and dismissing drivers, it will cost the taxpayers much more in the long run. More petrol, more pollution, more congestion, greater C02 emmissions. On top of which drivers will have to claim social welfare benefits and other allowances to survive.”

Brid Smith who has organised a public meeting in Ballyfermot to get local people out to oppose the cuts says “Dublin Bus claim they will save 31 million euro. Compare this with the billions of euro that have been given to bail out the banks and the developer friends of Fianna Fail! We are asking Residents Associations, environmental groups and trade unions should get behind the Busworkers’ campaign to save jobs and buses and force the Government to properly fund public transport.”

Gino Kenny said “We have to get People Power back on the streets to stop our services being hit like this. We hope to plan protests and pickets of TD’s clinics with the support of local communities to send a clear message to Dublin Bus and the Government – Hands off our buses.”

Public Meeting “HANDS OFF OUR BUSES”

Monday 9th February 8pm Ballyfermot United Sports & Social Club on Blackditch Road (opposite Swimming Pool) 

Speakers from National Bus & Railworkers Union and local residents associations.

Ends

For further information contact Brid Smith on 087 9090166