Following significant backlash - the 24 bus returns to Beneavin Road
Following months of sustained pressure, the 24 Bus will return to Beneavin Road.
People Before Profit Councillor Conor Reddy has welcomed this decision as “a testament to the power of a community that organised and stood together.” The announcement comes following the collective activism of the Finglas Bus Action Group, an alliance of residents groups, Finglas Tidy Towns, local schools, clubs and community organisations, alongside local public representatives.
Calls for the reintroduction of the bus to the area came following the launch of the F-Spine service , which Cllr Reddy previously said left passengers “stranded in the cold, isolated, and waiting”. This saw frequency cuts on the 23, 24, and F3 routes, as well a removal of all bus services from Beneavin Road, which many people relied on to access three nearby nursing homes.
“In February we succeeded in getting the 23 and 24 re-routed down the North Quays. That restored an essential link to the northside of town for thousands of residents in Finglas East and Glasnevin after it was lost under the BusConnects changes ,” Cllr Reddy explained. He said the old network had provided more frequent services and vital connections across the northside.
“The 9 and 83 previously ran every 10 to 12 minutes at peak times. The routes that replaced them, the 23 and 24, operate every 20 minutes at peak. That represents a significant reduction in service for local residents. But the issue was not just frequency,” he said.
“The number 9 linked Finglas East and Glasnevin directly to Ballymun Road and Mobhi Road, connecting people to GAA and soccer clubs, two third level institutes and local schools. Those everyday links are vital and many of them were lost when routes changed.”
While the restoration of the Beneavin Road stop is a step in the right direction, Cllr Reddy said further improvements are needed. “I will do all I can to ensure there is a clear timeline for the return of the service to Beneavin Road and to build on this success, pushing forward for frequent, reliable bus services and the restoration of important local links across the entire area,” he said.
Cathy Byrne, a member of the Finglas Bus Action Group and representative of the Beneavin Residents’ Association, previously called on the National Transport Authority to “come to their senses” on this issue. She said the restoration of the stop was needed and “to restore community confidence” they must “admit their errors.”
“There has been a bus on Beneavin Road for decades, it should be returned. In other parts of Finglas and Glasnevin people have very reasonable asks that should be addressed too,” she said last February.
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