Labour Councillor Corina Johnston has voiced concerns about the reliability of the 33B Bus Service for Donabate, Portrane and The Burrow. “At a recent meeting with the CEO of Go Ahead Ireland I raised my serious concerns in respect of the following: the reliability of the 33B bus service; the current and future of contract; the impact unacceptable cancellations has on commuters in Donabate and the Burrow, Portrane with every second bus servicing this area with commuters late for school, work, college, hospital appointments and having to take a taxi at a huge cost; the need for double decker buses to be utilised on the Donabate peninsula given our growing population to ensure passengers are not left behind; concerns regarding buses bypassing the town centre ; need for improved communication with commuters; need for connectivity between trains and buses.”

Johnston continued; “in response Go Ahead Ireland confirmed: recent service issues as a result of issues with recruitment of mechanics and winter flu; Recruitment process for additional drivers underway; improvement in services over last week with further improvements and return to full services anticipated within 10 days; double decker buses used at peak with ongoing monitoring of service capacity; Go Ahead has entered into a letter of intent with the National Transport Authority (NTA) for a new contract for Outer Dublin Metropolitan Area (ODMA) North and South to commence in October 2025; anticipated Bus Connects roll out in 2026 with every bus to service the Burrow, Portrane with the 33B services operating to and from Dublin Airport, improved connectivity between trains and buses •investigation of buses bypassing Donabate town centre ; communications review underway

Johnston concluded, ”I will continue to raise the ongoing issues with the 33B service with Go Ahead Ireland and the National Transport Authority (NTA) to ensure a reliable bus service is provide for commuters.”