Vital Bus Connects service for Wicklow postponed yet again

The plans for new bus corridors and additional services were first announced for Wicklow in 2018, and promised as part of the Bus Connects project to become operational by mid-2023. This was later revised with a launch date set for mid-2024, which was further postponed to autumn.

Earlier this month, a date of December was confirmed, with the new routes, including a 24-hour service from Bray to Dublin, welcomed locally by commuters – albeit cautiously, as the spectre of mistrust and confusion darkened any cause for celebration.

That spectre has reared its head to haunt the beleaguered 'loop service' once more, with the announcement by the NTA, confirmed today by the Wicklow Taoiseach, that commuters won't, after all, be able to get that late bus home from the capital at Christmas.

This morning, the Taoiseach confirmed that the upcoming implantation of 'Phase 6a of the Bus Connects Plan', which was due to come into effect on December 8, "has been deferred to January of next year", citing the "confusion" as the reason for the postponement.

Phase 6a includes the introduction of:

Radial 19 – for more, see Route 19 information

Local routes

Express routes X1 and X2.

The local and Xpress routes (and X2) serve Bray, Greystones, Kilcoole, and Newcastle.

Speaking this morning, the Taoiseach said: "In recent weeks, I have spoken with a number of local residents of Bray, Greystones, Kilcoole, Enniskerry, Newtownmountkennedy and Newcastle regarding the new Bus Connects Plan. While the new plan offers some fantastic new services for our communities, I understood that a number of local residents were concerned about the confusion and difficulties that may have been caused by the changing of our bus routes and services so close to Christmas.

"Having discussed this with the National Transport Authority, the decision has been made to defer this change, to ensure the holiday season goes without unnecessary transport disruptions," he continued.

"A great benefit of this decision is that now additional resources have been freed up in the short-term run up to Christmas, and will allow us to provide additional bus services, including additional night services, to operate over Christmas, making it much more convenient for people to travel in and out of Dublin over the coming weeks.

"Once the details of these new services have been finalised, I will be sure to keep local residents informed. I want to take this opportunity to thank the National Transport Authority for working with me and for listening to the concerns of local residents on this issue, and I look forward to the full implementation of Phase 6a of the Bus Connects Plan at the right time, as the holiday season winds down in January."