FINE Gael councillor Daniel Butler raised ongoing concerns with the National Transport Authority (NTA) and Bus Éireann regarding persistent delays on the 304A bus route.
According to Cllr Butler, ongoing delays have resulted in students from Mungret Community College regularly arriving late to school.
Following engagement with Bus Éireann, the City West representative said the company carried out a route review and confirmed the 304A service is departing the University of Limerick on time. However, the service is being significantly impacted by traffic congestion, leading to average delays of around 20 minutes throughout the route.
“The reality remains that students are being delayed by ongoing traffic congestion,” said Cllr Butler.
“These delays are causing real disruption for families and for Mungret Community College, as students relying on this service are missing the start of the school day.”
Bus Éireann also confirmed it is in the process of compiling data on passenger loading factors for the route, which will help inform discussions on potential actions to improve reliability and capacity.
“I’ve asked the NTA to work with Bus Éireann to identify short and long-term solutions,” Cllr Butler added, adding that he will be following up once loading data is available to explore options.
Cllr Butler noted that any proposed changes would depend on funding and resource availability, but stressed the importance of prioritising reliable school-time connectivity.
“Reliable access to education is fundamental,” he concluded. “Parents and students deserve confidence that the bus will get them to school on time.”
