Building a bus shelter can cost up to €25,000, says NTA

BUILDING even one new bus shelter can cost up to €25,000, the National Transport Authority (NTA) has said.

The news came to light after a call from Councillor Kevin Sheahan who is looking for bus stops across the State to be covered so passengers aren’t left waiting in the rain.

His call was supported by councillors across Limerick, and was sparked by the Fianna Fail member complaining about the location of the bus stops in Askeaton.

Off the back of this, local authority bosses forwarded the request to the NTA.

But its deputy chief executive Hugh Creegan dismissed his call in a letter back to the council.

“Bus shelters are expensive to install and maintain – based on the required electrical arrangement, each new bus shelter can cost up to €25,000, with wheelchair accessible stops sometimes costing much more,” he wrote.

Mr Creegan pointed out that only 20% of bus stops in the country have a shelter, so putting these in place nationwide would cost €200m.

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“It is worth noting that we are not permitted under statutory regulation to light the bus shelter from the general public lighting system and instead each bus shelter has to be equipped with a separate individual electrical supply connection adding to overall cost,” he added.

Despite this, Cllr Sheahan says he will continue fighting for shelters.

He said: “We are all very familiar with the Irish weather. You can have these sudden showers or prolonged periods of rain. But at least while they are standing at a bus stop, they should be given a proper shelter. It’s counter-productive to provide all these modern buses, electric buses, spending tax-payers money on a programme that is only half-baked.”

The councillor wants to see the bus stop moved from Askeaton town square and relocated to the main road through, with one stop on the east side and one on the west, with a bus shelter at each.

He claimed that many elderly passengers are prevented from using the bus as it stands due to a 15 minute walk from their homes, sometimes in wet and rainy conditions.

This is exacerbated, he added, if for example, they have been in University Hospital Limerick for treatment and are tired as a result of this.

Recently, the NTA doubled the number of services on route 314 which connects Askeaton with the city, plus towns and villages along the N69.