A chara, - I was disappointed to see Mr John King, chairman of the Combined Ashbourne Residents' Associations, using European Car Free Day to level a cheap jibe at Bus Éireann, by claiming that "the regular commuters of Ashbourne were seen leaving the bus stops and returning to their cars because of the inability of Bus Éireann to provide a service."
Mr King is well aware that over the past five years the frequency and quality of our services on the Ashbourne route have been improved out of all recognition. The basic timetable offers a bus every 20 minutes on weekdays, every 30 minutes on Saturdays and every hour on Sundays, with additional vehicles as required at peak periods. For the record, there are 47 scheduled departures each way on Mondays to Fridays, 30 each way on Saturdays and 20 each way on Sundays.
Our fares on the Ashbourne route are actually cheaper than those charged for comparable distances in many other parts of the country. At €3.80 single, €5.20 day return and €24.50 for 10 journeys over seven days, they represent excellent value for money.
Mr King also knows very well that any problems of service reliability are the result of increasing traffic congestion, which last year imposed additional costs of €19.2 million on the company's operations nationally.
We have a modern fleet and a team of professional drivers and support staff; give us the freedom to move on the roads and we'll show you what a top-class bus company can do. - Yours, etc.,
CYRIL McINTYRE, Manager, Media and Public Relations, Bus Éireann, Broadstone, Dublin 7.