There are other people who cannot go to the shop.
Sentiment score: 0.00
No, I cannot. I am suffering this every day.
Sentiment score: -0.39
I suffer drones over my head.
Sentiment score: -0.54
103. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Transport for an update on a direct route from the Dublin 15 area to Dublin Airport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51872/25]
Sentiment score: 0.01
I note Fianna Fáil had a meeting on drones in Dundrum. My question relates to a direct bus route from the greater Blanchardstown area to Dublin Airport. Thousands of people work in the airport and many people have to get to it. Recently, Ongar Tidy Towns has been informed by the NTA that the expected roll-out of an N8 service has now been delayed for at least two years.
Sentiment score: 0.03
Fair play to the civil servant who padded out that answer for the Minister because my question was not about BusConnects. Rather, it was about a specific issue. The Minister dealt with that issue in a couple of sentences and the information is very similar. They have been told the project will be delivered in quarter 3 of 2026, which is next year. Given that people have been told it is subject to operational readiness and the recruitment of drivers, realistically no one expects the service to be delivered in 2026. It could take even longer. As for the problems this is causing, some of my constituents have to get up at 4 a.m. to get to the airport. It is something that takes people 15 minutes to drive to at a good time during the early morning or late at night. I have done so myself. As the crow flies, it is very close by and yet, as people do not have one direct route, they have to get two buses and travel for an hour and a half to two hours, or even longer for those who are from the Ongar area. Some 20,000 people work in the airport and, as the Minister knows, there is discussion about expanding it but people cannot get there.
Sentiment score: 0.06
A taxi from Ongar to Dublin Airport costs €50 to €65, for example. That is what passengers are being forced to spend. We could eliminate 10,000 to 20,000 car journeys immediately by introducing a direct bus route. It should be an absolute priority. Residents have suggested that the Minister might consider extending the W4 route to the airport until the N8 is finally rolled out. Realistically, they believe that could take a number of years. Such a decision would allow for typical operational slippages of approximately two years across the BusConnects roll-out. There are 140,000 residents in Dublin 15 and 105,000 in Lucan and Clondalkin who could benefit directly from the extension of this bus service. We need this urgently in order to avoid more expense and to reduce the life hassle people who work in the airport face in trying to get there.
Sentiment score: 0.00