Bus Eireann Route 190

Edg3

Hey all.

I couldnt find any other topic on this so I thought I'd start one.

Couple weeks back Bus Eireann in their infinite wisdom stopped my old 188 bus going from Navan to Drogheda via Slane, they now run it Navan, Slane (Slane Drogheda Road) and directly into Drogheda. This has cut out Duleek and the few people it picked up on the Slane Dublin road (Me and a few more). Its not so bad for me, I can get into the village for my buses in and home but people in Duleek have to now go to Drogheda, and get a bus that goes to Ashbourne. Meaning they now have to pay 2 ticket fares.
This isnt the worst part, the route the bus takes out of Navan has become hilariously ridiculous. Today we left Market Square at 4.10, we passed the Round O (On the Navan Slane Road) at 4.50, because the bus now takes a big, long round about route out past the hospital and onto the ring road. With Christmas traffic starting now its getting worse.
I tried to find an email to complain to Bus Eireann through but had no luck. Many people on the bus today seemed confused and frustrated with the trip, one even asking if she was on the right bus because we were going in the opposite direction to where we wanted to go.
I did my venting on the way home but though I'd explain the FUN TIMES people will be having trying to get home this Christmas!

Geog1234

When I saw the new timetable I thought this is mainly good but there's always been several buses a day between Duleek and Navan (that has been the case since the Drogheda-Duleek-Slane-Navan bus was introduced in 1958 to replace the train service). It is incredible that now there's nothing at all. There are always passengers travelling from Duleek to Navan and from points along the road such as Rathdrinagh to both Drogheda and Navan.

Mondays to Fridays there is a bus every hour each way. In my view one bus should go Navan-Slane-Rossin-Drogheda and the next hour the bus should go Navan-Slane-Curtis Cross-Duleek-Drogheda (the old 188 route). At weekends all (or most) buses should go the old route.

There is a valid case for the timetable to be revised as the number of people affected is in tens per day.

The e-mail contact details for Bus Éireann are:

info[AT]buseireann.ie (replace [AT] with @)

and the postal address is:
Bus Éireann Area Office
Long Walk
Dundalk
Co. Louth

A summary of the changes I posted a few weeks back has jumped back to the second page of the forum, here.

Edg3

Geog1234 wrote: »

There is a valid case for the timetable to be revised as the number of people affected is in tens per day.

There are way less people getting on the bus between Navan and Drogheda now because a lot of them got off the bus past Slane and in Duleek.
I get the bus regularly and this is what I've seen. What used to be two very busy trips, the 4 and 5 buses, are now pretty empty, it used to be nearly impossible to get on the bus some days, now, loads of room.

I do agree that some buses should service the old route, they go every hour, why not every second one? Have them service the old route, no one would get annoyed then, people could work around that. The 4pm bus used to be packed with students leaving school, and I seen some very very upset ones the first day this ran because they could not get home, and Ive seen some very confused ones on the bus trying to figure out the route with the driver and having to get off again, with no way home. This doesnt effect me directly but it must have been quiet scary or worrying for some of the students standing in town waiting for the 188 and it never showing (it did happen I seen it).

My other problem is the bus is meant to leave Navan at 4.10, the other day it didn't arrive til 4.25, another day, 4.30 and last Friday it was nearly 4.35 before the bus pulled up at market square. You cant trust the times of the bus anymore. I used to be there 5 minutes before schedule and he was always on time, now, I could be standing there for a good 20 minutes before he shows.

The fact that people have to go all the way to Drogheda (costing them more money) then turning and going back again just to get to Duleek is also ridiculous, theres no reason the Duleek route needed to be changed.

I was kinda happy when I seen the changes, even though that first day I missed my bus because we were given NO warning whatsoever that the bus time tables were changing, I was just in to get my bus (10 minutes early) to see it driving off. But thats not the point.

Another MASSIVE problem, buses from Drogheda to Duleek-Ashbourne are there, but on a Sunday, no buses... not one.
Whoever came up with these new routes needs a good slap, or to be put on a bus and made travel the route to see just how abysmal it really is. My mind is still blown by the round about way we leave the town of Navan now. 40 minutes to get from Market Square to the Round O... what was once a 5 minute trip.

horseburger

It might be worthwhile posting this discussion in the Commuting and Transport forum, you might get further feedback and responses from other passengers.

Also if you contact the National Transport Authority, they would be responsive to the issues you are highlighting.

http://www.nationaltransport.ie/

Is that route from Navan that goes by the hospital a permanent one?

I was surprised that it took so long to get to the Round O, does it pick up or drop off passengers at the hospital?

I would have thought that from Navan Square, it'd go straight up Flower Hill, and at the Round O, go right for Slane?

I can understand how passengers who used the 188 from Navan would be confused when the 190 bus started operating on 24th November.

The new 190 timetable was not placed on display at the bus stop at Navan Square until last week, (week beginning 9th December) and even then the 188 timetable was still on display alongside it.

I was getting a bus to Dublin on 7th December and I noticed the new 190 timetable was not on display, but the old 188 one was still on display.

Edg3

horseburger wrote: »

It might be worthwhile posting this discussion in the Commuting and Transport forum, you might get further feedback and responses from other passengers.

Also if you contact the National Transport Authority, they would be responsive to the issues you are highlighting.

http://www.nationaltransport.ie/

Is that route from Navan that goes by the hospital a permanent one?

I was surprised that it took so long to get to the Round O, does it pick up or drop off passengers at the hospital?

I would have thought that from Navan Square, it'd go straight up Flower Hill, and at the Round O, go right for Slane?

I can understand how passengers who used the 188 from Navan would be confused when the 190 bus started operating on 24th November.

The new 190 timetable was not placed on display at the bus stop at Navan Square until last week, (week beginning 9th December) and even then the 188 timetable was still on display alongside it.

I was getting a bus to Dublin on 7th December and I noticed the new 190 timetable was not on display, but the old 188 one was still on display.

Ive only once seen it drop or pick up at the hospital, that was the very first day and I go in different times most days, as does a friend of mine.
The reason it takes so long as traffic. It takes 2 of the busiest streets in the town and onto the ring road behind the hospital then could take a good 10 minutes if traffic is heavy its insane.


I will move this to that other area, I wasnt originally sure where to post it.

Now when I'm going in I get off at the Round O and walk down the town and usually get to Market Square before the bus, and I'm a slow walker.

horseburger

here is the forum, you might get more feedback on it.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=246