Continued violence disrupts Dublin bus services

Dublin bus services to Tallaght and Kilinarden continue to be disrupted after the failure of a meeting this morning to resolve safety concerns.

Good drivers are leaving this depot [Ringsend] as a result of this lawlessness. Mr John McGrane, of the NBRU

Dublin Bus unions, SIPTU and the NBRU met with local councillors and residents groups in Tallaght Garda Station but failed to agree a strategy to deal with violence on the 77, 65B, 56A, 50 and the 201 and 202 local link routes.

As a result these buses will terminate at Tallaght Shopping Centre after 6. p.m. causing serious disruption to over 5,000 passengers.

Mr John McGrane, National Executive for the NBRU appealed for the Minister for Justice to intervene adding it was only a question of time before someone was killed on the buses as a result of anti- social behaviour in west Tallaght.

"I’ve been driving the 77 route for 15 years and its got to the stage where the other drivers are scared to drive those routes. Good drivers are leaving this depot [Ringsend] as a result of this lawlessness," he said.

He said drivers had been urinated on, had windows smashed and been threatened. Crimes against passengers on these routes had also increased, claimed Mr McGrane.

Garda Inspector Pat Edgeworth, head of the community policing unit in Tallaght, said anti-social behaviour in the area had decreased in the last 15-18 months and said recent incidents involving buses were confined to a small group.

He said a policing forum had been established to deal with anti-social behaviour on buses which included members of the gardaí, residents groups, bus unions and management and local councillors.

Insp Edgeworth said sufficient policing resources were available to manage the problem.