End of The Swilly?

Banjoxed

Only a couple of days left for the Swilly Bus, it seems:

http://m.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-foyle-west-27031368

The service is sparse enough on East Inishowen, what about Buncrana and the rest? Are the only "buses" that will be left in much of North Donegal the book and ride ones aimed at pensioners?

Richard

Banjoxed wrote: »

Only a couple of days left for the Swilly Bus, it seems:

http://m.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-foyle-west-27031368

The service is sparse enough on East Inishowen, what about Buncrana and the rest? Are the only "buses" that will be left in much of North Donegal the book and ride ones aimed at pensioners?

That's a shame for their employees, and for the history behind the company too.

dregin

The last remnant of Donegal's rail heritage?

danniemcq

So thats no buses to Milford, Rathmullen, Fanad, Ramelton, Kerrykeel to and from Letterkenny. And no doubt i'm missing some.

I know the Rathmullen one was fairly quiet these days and that the service was really badly cutback but jeez thats gonna be a right pain for lots of people. Even the Derry/Letterkenny route is gonna be hit having to rely on buses that'll be delayed as they are caught in traffic on the way from Galway

Banjoxed

Out our way in East Inishowen Northwest Busways has had the bulk of the business for years but always ran at similar times to the Swilly buses. Now there are only two a day Swilly buses Mon to Fri and one on Saturday. You might reasonably think that with competition there would be a better service but no. There are probably fewer buses running between here and Derry than there were thirty years ago, with a much greater population. Buses have been deliberately run down to provide a service only to those too young or too old to drive.

In an ideal world Translink's FY16 to Culmore would be extended to Moville and Greencastle, and provide an hourly daily service, but that won't happen.

Instead, the existing operators will get the remnants of the routes after the Swilly workers lose their livelihoods. Shame.

Broxi_Bear_Eire

We have had no regular bus route since the Swilly service stopped down this way (Burtonport) a few years ago

Banjoxed

Broxi_Bear_Eire wrote: »

We have had no regular bus route since the Swilly service stopped down this way (Burtonport) a few years ago

Local elections are a few weeks away. Time to hold candidates feet to the fire over that issue.

L1011

Banjoxed wrote: »

Local elections are a few weeks away. Time to hold candidates feet to the fire over that issue.

Close to sod all a councillor can do about that - there may be some scratchings of funding around the council but it's not much.

Kintarō Hattori

But remember that a rise in motor tax is being seriously contemplated as we all use our cars too much and need encouragement to use the trains and buses. Outside of major urban areas cars are an absolute necessity.

Broxi_Bear_Eire

MYOB wrote: »

Close to sod all a councillor can do about that - there may be some scratchings of funding around the council but it's not much.

That doesn't mean they shouldn't be fighting for some sort of funding from central government. My case for example and I am not the only one is that I am disabled and the day is going to come sooner rather than later when I can't drive anymore. So that leaves me a choice of begging lifts or spending a great deal on getting my car converted or getting a taxi. It is a sad state if affairs when there is no bus service to serve the community

L1011

They can fight, but it won't work. TDs are who you need to contact over this. People wildly over-estimate what councillors can achieve and its not helped by councillors wildly over-stating what they "have" achieved (from central government) also.

Banjoxed

MYOB wrote: »

They can fight, but it won't work. TDs are who you need to contact over this. People wildly over-estimate what councillors can achieve and its not helped by councillors wildly over-stating what they "have" achieved (from central government) also.

Nevertheless it should be done. I would never suggest we as voters should shrug our shoulders and do nothing before the next general election. Councillors and TDs do not exist in a vacuum from each other, especially up here.

L1011

Banjoxed wrote: »

Nevertheless it should be done. I would never suggest we as voters should shrug our shoulders and do nothing before the next general election. Councillors and TDs do not exist in a vacuum from each other, especially up here.

Nothing stops you contacting TDs outside of election time. Encouraging councillors to pretend they can influence national politics is a bad idea.

muffler

MYOB wrote: »

Close to sod all a councillor can do about that - there may be some scratchings of funding around the council but it's not much.

Well there is actually plenty that councillors can do and you sort of scratched the surface but got the wrong area.

Donegal County Council like every other Council in Ireland have to prepare their estimates for expenditure for next year (as an example) and later this year they will go cap in hand to central government for funding to help with the cost of their spending next year.

All the estimates for next years programme of works, grant allocations, special funding etc etc are worked out jointly between the council officials and the elected members so yes, the councillors do have a large part to play in all of this and it would be extremely important for people to make their feelings on local issues known to local councillors.

Leaving the council budget aside TD's depend on grass root activists and councillors to highlight the issues that people are concerned with.

L1011

Transport funding is a matter for the NTA and not the council, though.

We have an utter breach of what local and national politics involve in this country that nowhere else in the world seems to suffer from. People contact TDs about streetlights being broken and I've had council candidates claiming they can influence the national budget.

RIPSwillyBusCo

I'm worried, I take the swilly bus route Letterkenny - Derry/Londonderry most days. But who will take over those routes? Any ideas. It is better for the enviroment to take buses and trains. I hope Swilly bus routes will be taken over by another bus company.

homer simpson

RIPSwillyBusCo wrote: »

I'm worried, I take the swilly bus route Letterkenny - Derry/Londonderry most days. But who will take over those routes? Any ideas. It is better for the enviroment to take buses and trains. I hope Swilly bus routes will be taken over by another bus company.

Bus Eireann, buses at 6.40 & 9.40 every day departing letterkenny for Derry. Full timetable here...

http://www.buseireann.ie/pdf/1360753092-064.pdf

Banjoxed

homer simpson wrote: »

Bus Eireann, buses at 6.40 & 9.40 every day departing letterkenny for Derry. Full timetable here...

http://www.buseireann.ie/pdf/1360753092-064.pdf

And these are the buses seemingly lost:

homer simpson

Banjoxed wrote: »

And these are the buses seemingly lost:

So bus eireann are offering more frequent buses on the route and earlier and later too. Don't realise that till you pointed it out.

Banjoxed

homer simpson wrote: »

So bus eireann are offering more frequent buses on the route and earlier and later too. Don't realise that till you pointed it out.

Meh. Whatever. If you read the timetable the buses listed were in addition to the BE ones. Come Friday they'll be gone, apparently. If you didn't realise that those buses were running from Letterkenny and Derry then you haven't won the internet.

echo beach

homer simpson wrote: »

Bus Eireann, buses at 6.40 & 9.40 every day departing letterkenny for Derry. Full timetable here...

http://www.buseireann.ie/pdf/1360753092-064.pdf

The question is what happens to the people taking the 8.15 and 9.00 Swilly buses? If they have to be in Derry before 10.30 the only option is to get a bus at 6.40 and hang about Derry from 7.15 until their work or college starts.

homer simpson

echo beach wrote: »

The question is what happens to the people taking the 8.15 and 9.00 Swilly buses? If they have to be in Derry before 10.30 the only option is to get a bus at 6.40 and hang about Derry from 7.15 until their work or college starts.

What happens is they either get a lift or take the bus and wait. Not ideal but if it's you only means of transport what other option is there.

From what I gather the route was very very quiet so as regards the people using the route being effected its minimal. The real problem here is the jobs seemingly being lost.

Banjoxed wrote: »

Meh. Whatever. If you read the timetable the buses listed were in addition to the BE ones. Come Friday they'll be gone, apparently. If you didn't realise that those buses were running from Letterkenny and Derry then you haven't won the internet.

Very mature response. Some routes will have no other option but the Derry - Letterkenny route isn't one of them anyone I know that has needed to get the bus in recent times would have went "BE" over swilly anyway.

Durnish

Very sad news, maybe inevitable tho'. The Lough Swilly bus was the poor teenager's escape route from Derry to the beach at Fahan in the 60's and 70's. Is there a beach left at Fahan?

guttenberg

Sad news, I've a relative affected by this. Is there any chance of Translink extending their Culmore bus service further north across the border?

Madam

I'm really going to miss that harum scarum trip to Manor on the oul Swilly clapped out bus I am:rolleyes:

NIMAN

Although this is very sad news for the 80 involved, we have got to face the economic fact that their service isn't financially viable.

Banjoxed

It isn't just the eighty employees of the Swilly affected by its closure: the Derry Journal has a good article here giving passenger reaction.

http://m.derryjournal.com/news/business/passengers-incensed-at-swilly-redundancies-1-6006342

NIMAN

Of course it will affect many people, but it was losing money hand over fist, and in business that can't continue for long. Its sad for the 80 employees and all those who actually made use of their service, but obviously not enough people use buses these days to justify some services.

Banjoxed

Meanwhile, the owners don't appear to be too stuck:

http://donegalnews.com/2013/11/dohertys-harcourt-profits-double/

One less bit of their empire to worry about after this weekend.

RIPSwillyBusCo

I was thinking to ask one of the local td's, would that help? Or set up a page, so people could like or sign up to and show that us locals need these buses and it will take the goverments money to fund buses and create new jobs.

Losty Dublin

RIPSwillyBusCo wrote: »

I was thinking to ask one of the local td's, would that help? Or set up a page, so people could like or sign up to and show that us locals need these buses and it will take the goverments money to fund buses and create new jobs.

Sadly, the TD's can't do a lot as the company was wound up in Belfast High Court via a petition from the UK Inland Revenue. A creditors meeting was to have been held on Tuesday but it has been cancelled; me thinks that something is going on here.

RIPSwillyBusCo

Yeah but I mean, for another bus company to take those routes though and asking the td's about that. Leave out Swilly, It's gone by the weekend.
Edit - There may be hope through, Ulster bus or Bus Eireann may take over the Swilly bus routes.

http://www.highlandradio.com/2014/04/17/possibility-of-ulsterbus-and-bus-eireann-taking-on-lough-swilly-bus-service-routes/

oranbhoy67

noticed Bus Eireanns timetable Letterkenny to Derry is changing come Tuesday.. does anyone know if this is to cover Swillys routes?


http://www.buseireann.ie/pdf/1397754631-Copy-of-Letterkenny-Derry-summary-timetable-from-Tuesday-22nd-April-(2).pdf