Covid-19: Transport union wants dedicated buses for health workers 

The NTA asked for the public to observe public guidelines and respect staff. Picture: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie

The National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) has called on the National Transport Authority (NTA) and Dublin Bus to provide dedicated hospital buses for HSE staff.

In a letter to transport chiefs, General Secretary of the NBRU, Dermot O'Leary, said transport workers are concerned that capacity issues have left frontline healthcare workers unable to reach their place of work on routes with high demand.

As a solution, the Union has proposed creating dedicated buses on these routes at "pinch point times for HSE/hospital staff only".

Mr O'Leary said: "Whilst the Halloween mid-term break did bring some relief with schools being closed, the reality is that those routes that serve up to nine hospitals across Dublin are still experiencing capacity difficulties, with vital frontline HSE staff being unable to access their bus to work."

The NTA asked for the public to observe public guidelines and respect staff. File picture. 

The union raised a suggestion of staggered opening times for retail, schools, colleges, and other workplaces as a possible solution to ease demand. 

The routes serving hospitals under capacity constraints highlighted by the union include: 

• Route 13 to St James Hospital
• Route 40 to St James Hospital 
• Route 151 to Crumlin Children's Hospital/Coombe Women's Hospital
• Route 27 to Tallaght Hospital/Crumlin Children's Hospital/Coombe Women's Hospital
• Route 65 to Tallaght Hospital
• Route 77a to Tallaght Hospital/Crumlin Children's Hospital/Coombe Women's Hospital
• Route 150 to Crumlin Children's Hospital
• Route 38 to Conolly Hospital 
• Route 16 to Mater Hospital/Highfield hospital

Earlier, the National Transport Authority (NTA) warned of the pressures on the public transport system with the return of schools on Monday and existing Level 5 capacity limits.

Capacity on public transport has been reduced to 25% as part of the government's move to Level 5 lockdown.

Long delays have been reported, with some passengers being left behind on certain routes. Severe pressure has been placed on services in the Dublin region as well as Cork.

NTA Chief Executive Anne Graham has asked for the public to be aware of the challenges and that journeys should be made for essential reasons.

“The return of schools on Monday is likely to give rise to additional pressure. We are anxious to make sure that customers are aware of the situation. NTA is asking people to avoid travelling at peak times and only to use public transport for essential purposes," said Ms Graham.

"Nobody wants to see a situation where essential workers, such as those on the healthcare frontline, cannot get on a bus. People who can work from home should work from home. We continue to encourage people to walk or cycle where possible.

"Customers who have no alternative to public transport should expect their journey to take longer and plan ahead accordingly," she said.