Five New Buses Planned As JJ Kavanagh Expresses "Regret" As Disabled Pensioner Left Waiting 3 Hours

Thursday, 16 January 2025 at 12:21

By Martin Osborne

Five new wheelchair accessible buses are expected to be launched next week.

Following reports by Kfm that a couple from Clane were left stranded for three hours while waiting on the 139 bus in Naas, a manager at JJ Kavanagh said five new wheelchair accessible buses will be launched next week.

The €1.8m hybrid, low-floor eco-friendly buses will be primarily used along the 139 Naas to Blanchardstown route.

Manager with the company Donal O'Brien said he "deeply regrets" what happened and that he will speak to the couple impacted.

He said he does not envisage a similar situation arising in the future and that he is not aware of it happening in the past.

He said they invest a lot in ensuring buses are accessible but incidents do happen in "rare cases".

He said the company will also be investing in real-time information where passengers can track the location of buses along the route.

"Designed with cutting-edge technology, our new fleet aims to enhance accessibility for passengers with mobility challenges while championing environmental responsibility," he said.

The issue of a bus not showing up for the Clane couple has been raised with the National Transport Authority.

In a statement, a spokesperson said: "NTA appreciates this being brought to our attention. We will be raising this with the operator so that we can get to the bottom of it and see what steps we need to take to avoid a recurrence. We apologise to the customer for the inconvenience and embarrassment caused."