Waiting up to an hour and a half for a bus in Limerick City in the rain is an experience I do not wish upon anyone, but it is one that thousands of the city's residents have to endure every day. Simply put, Ireland's rural public transport system is disgraceful. It is under funded, neglected, and in need of a serious revamp. In comparison to Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann operate limited routes in Limerick, Cork, Waterford and Galway. Not only are the routes poor, but the efficiency of the service is completely unacceptable.
The introduction of waiting times at all the major bus stops in Dublin, as well as the new integrated Leap Card, further highlights the overshadowing that Dublin Bus has over it's Bus Éireann counterparts. The cities of Limerick, Cork, Waterford and Galway need an effective public transport infrastructure, not only to deal with the student population, but to combat the problems of social exclusion and rural isolation for social groups like pensioners and the disabled, for example.
With projects like the Metro North and DART underground services being shelved for the foreseeable future, perhaps the current government could do something to address the issue of public transport in these areas of the country. The current system is completely flawed and almost laughable in comparison to structures that exist in other EU countries.
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