People Before Profit Councillor Conor Reddy is calling for an immediate review of the F-Spine bus service in Finglas
An image of the F-Spine bus as seen in the TFI’s phase 7 booklet(Image: TFI – Transport for Ireland)
Finglas residents are reporting widespread disruption and confusion following the rollout of the new BusConnects F-Spine bus service.
People Before Profit Councillor Conor Reddy has collected the local community’s response in a survey conducted following the service’s commencement last Sunday. And with over 150 responses, Cllr Reddy called the rollout “a complete mess for many in our community.”
He said: “This chaos was entirely predictable. I’ve seen it coming for months.
“We had a petition, residents on Beneavin Road had their own petition, but we were ignored by the NTA. The loss of the direct link to the north inner city from large parts of Finglas and the drops in frequency were always going to cause serious problems.
Dublin Bus (stock)(Image: Sam Boal/Collins Photos)
“The 23 and 24 services are now running at about half the peak frequency they used to. And with the F1, F2 and F3 no longer connecting the west and south of Finglas properly, people are being cut off from work, school and essential services. Added to this mess is confusion, with some people reporting that they did not receive information booklets on new routes from the NTA”
With no single bus now linking large parts of Finglas East to the north inner city, Cllr Reddy said the loss of the 9 and 83 bus routes have had a noticeable effect. He also stressed the lack of bus linking Finglas West and Finglas South, meaning people have to take multiple buses or go on long walks.
The lack of service on Beneavin Road also isolated residents and visitors to the Beneavin Nursing Home, Cllr Reddy said. Through a survey conducted by Cllr Reddy and shared on social media, he reports complaints of buses not showing up, drivers unsure of new routes, and journeys taking twice as long as before.
Cllr Reddy cited one commuter’s claim that their journey from Finglas into the city centre, which used to take 40 minutes, now takes 1 hour and 20 minutes. Another resident wrote that they had to get a taxi to work after four buses were cancelled in an hour.
One local carer said the new routes make it “extremely difficult for the elderly, students, and carers to get around Finglas”, while some pensioners said they are now unable to reach the post office on Glasnevin Avenue. “These aren’t minor teething problems, they’re serious failures that are leaving people isolated and late for work or school. The new routes were supposed to improve services, but they’ve made life harder for thousands of people,” Cllr Reddy said.
Cllr Reddy is now writing to the National Transport Authority to demand an immediate review of the rollout, the restoration of local links, extra peak-time capacity on the 23 and 24, among other changes. This follows a previous petition from Cllr Reddy which aimed to ensure bus services connecting Finglas locals to shops, post offices, schools and other essential services.
At the time of publication, the NTA had not yet responded to a request for comment from Dublin Live.
This content is funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.