206 servcie to be axed in Ballyfermot
Last night there was a public meeting at the Ballyfermot United Sports & Social Club on Blackditch Road (opposite Swimming Pool) organsied by the People Before Profit Alliance in Ballyfermot. Speakers from the National Bus & Railworkers Union, local residents associations, workers from the Waterford Crystal Union as well as councillors for the area all attended.
Many locals were angry at the cuts to local bus services as well as cuts to bus services across Dublin. In Ballyfermot, the 78A service will be cut and the 206 service will be completely removed. In total 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 says “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.”
Further protests and action in the area was agreed by supporters, asking Residents Associations, environmental groups and trade unions to get behind the Busworkers’ campaign to save jobs and buses and force the Government to properly fund public transport.
