The NTA has said that officials plan to reintroduce normal public transport timetables from next Monday.
NTA officials have said that while demand for public transport still remains very low, some “recovery in passenger numbers” has been apparent in recent weeks. Closely following public health advice, the NTA hopes to reinstate regular transport timetables next week – effective from Monday going forward.
Assuring the public that a number of added health and safety measures have been introduced along with “enhanced cleaning regimes”, a post on the NTA website reads:
“The pattern of travel on public transport has changed radically and is likely not to immediately return to the same patterns as were in place prior to the Covid 19 pandemic. The planning of the public transport response to the Government’s roadmap is challenging as there are now new norms.
The Authority has made extensive contacts with employer, industry and retail bodies as well as larger third level institutions to ascertain the manner in which various sectors expect to phase their reopening in keeping with the Government Roadmap. These contacts will continue through the reopening phases. The Authority continues to liaise closely with PSO transport operators as we monitor passenger trends and emerging service capacity constraints, and identify actions which can be taken to address these constraints.”
Normal Monday – Friday timetables for commuters are expected to resume on bus and DART services from Monday, June 8th however authorities are still concerned that a large percentage of non-essential travel is being done which is eating into much of the capacity they had planned for phase two.
Adding that there needs to be a “radical shift in the use of active travel modes” over the next few months, the NTA predicts that there needs to be plans for a doubling of walking and a trebling of cycling journeys at peak times.
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