Wicklow TD Jennifer Whitmore has welcomed the commencement of the new dedicated 131 bus between Bray and Wicklow Town, beginning this weekend. From the 7th of May this bus service will have 122 departures each way per week and will allow passengers to access DART services from Bray station. While welcome, there is still a long road ahead to meeting the public transport needs of the county.
Deputy Whitmore said: “It is always welcome news to see more public transport options coming on stream for locals in Wicklow. Many people from Wicklow Town commute to work in, and from, Bray. The new 131 route is a great addition. I would however like to see even more frequency, but hopefully local demand for the service will fuel that move from Bus Eireann.
“The need for this route, and to improve connectivity between Bray and Wicklow Town, serves as a reminder for the long term need to deliver the DART extension from Greystones to Wicklow. While the process on that continues, the new bus service will provided an option but the extension of the DART is still badly needed.
“In another important update from Bus there are now extra departures on the 133 line from Wicklow to Dublin city via Ashford. This services will no longer route through Bray. Commuters will now have transfer to Route 101 at Busáras in order to connect through Dublin Airport. Additionally it was announced that the route has been consolidated so that the former 133B, 133L and 133X routes will no longer operate. These are a number of changes along the same routes and so I am calling on Bus Éireann to engage in an local information campaign so that customers know how and where they can access these updated services.”
