'We can’t take our foot off of the gas' in fight for bus say Kilkenny community

A local community are renewing their calls for the introduction of an additional bus places to reduce the ongoing strain on a community’s young attempting to reach schools in Kilkenny City each day.

For a significant period of time, countless parents and guardians of stranded school goers in the Gowran area have called for the urgent introduction of an additional Bus Éireann school bus service to Kilkenny City, as the practical and financial pressure ramps up for some families.

Only one-third of students in the area currently have access to the route and families are collectively spending €67,500 per year on fuel.

A recent public meeting drew a significant turnout from local residents and focused on ongoing concerns for parents and students.

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Community members raised the day to day impacts the lack of bus places are having on commuters, students who regularly rely on it.

"Until we see the wheels on the ground and in situ, we can’t take our foot off of the gas," Chairperson of the Gowran Bus Group said.

"When buses are passing at 8.05am and not picking up kids coming from a different area, it’s the whole schedule and (the schedule) around it," he argued.

"What happens is there are different people doing different schedules. So every bus route is independently tendered and nobody looks at the full picture. There’s enough buses, there’s enough drivers. This is down to planning and scheduling."

Members of the group have proposed ideas and suggestions to Bus Éireann in order to effectively cater for the surplus but to no avail so far.

"Come September, we’re going to probably have 70 cars going from Gowran if this doesn't get sorted," he continued.

"They’re looking for the absolute perfect solution and there is no perfect solution.

"Mr Hayes also argued that the current ticketing system is not up to speed with modern-day family/school life.

As it stands, tickets for school places are purchased but no flexibility is available for students who may only need to avail it on certain days of the week due to domestic arrangements.

"We’re adding to a huge traffic jam. We can’t do the cars for our sins," he added, suggesting a rural bus service that connects with KK1 and KK2 in the city.

"We’re getting like train spotters. It’s boring as hell now, where at the front gate of the Loreto down to Greens Bridge is hundreds of cars and we’re adding to that."

"We’ve got a system that seems to be archaic in a way. It's a fault of history," he claimed.

"We only want to work with people to make this happen. we believe there is a real opportunity for Kilkenny to shine, seriously, around rural transport. This will be a big missed opportunity if not taken."

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