Sinn Féin TD for Wicklow, John Brady, has hit out at Government, the National Transport Authority (NTA) and Bus Éireann over ongoing failures on the 131 and 133 bus routes, with vehicle maintenance issues leaving buses off the road and passengers stranded.
In a written reply to queries, the NTA confirmed that significant service delivery issues in the Dublin commuter area are largely due to buses being taken off the road for fleet maintenance at Bus Éireann’s Broadstone depot, with routes 131 and 133 among those affected.
Teachta Brady said:
“I have been inundated by members of the public who are being let down by these services on a constant basis.
“Passengers are regularly left stranded by cancelled and disrupted services, as well as overcrowded buses that simply bypass stops.
“The NTA has confirmed that the large majority of dropped services in the Dublin commuter area are due to buses being off the road for fleet maintenance at Bus Éireann’s Broadstone depot. Routes 131 and 133 have been directly impacted.
“This is simply not good enough.
“People depend on these services to get to work, school and appointments, and they should not be left wondering whether their bus will arrive or whether they will be able to get on when it does.
“What makes this situation even more frustrating is that, at the same time as passengers are being let down by a lack of available buses, circa 100 electric buses are parked up due to a lack of charging infrastructure.
“These are buses worth nearly €600,000 and they are left gathering dust due to Government’s failure to deliver.
“On the one hand, we have buses being kept off the road because of maintenance issues, and on the other we have a substantial number of electric buses sitting unused because the necessary charging infrastructure has not been put in place.
“This is a monumental failure of planning, and raises serious questions about the Government’s ability to deliver a reliable public transport system. We cannot continue to see passengers pay the price for failures in fleet maintenance and infrastructure planning.
“Notably, improved 133 services are also needed to make the €11 million Fassaroe Park and Ride facility operational. That facility has been substantially complete since late 2025, but remains unused while the necessary bus services and funding have yet to be delivered.
“The NTA has confirmed that it is meeting weekly with Bus Éireann at senior management level to address the current service delivery issues, but passengers must see real and sustained improvements on the ground.
“I am calling on Government, the NTA and Bus Éireann to urgently address the maintenance issues, ensure buses are available to operate scheduled services, and deliver the charging infrastructure needed to put parked electric buses into service.
“The population in Wicklow has grown substantially in recent years, and public transport services must adapt accordingly.
“People need a reliable, sustainable public transport system that meets demand. It is unacceptable that passengers are being left stranded because buses are unavailable, while electric buses remain unused because the infrastructure to charge them has not been delivered.
“Government must now take responsibility, resolve these maintenance and infrastructure issues, and provide the additional reliability and capacity required on the 131 and 133 routes.”
ENDS