THE NATIONAL TRANSPORT Authority delayed the rollout of new 24-hour bus routes before Christmas following intense lobbying by TDs ahead of the general election.

At the height of election campaigning last November, the authority deferred a plan to replace the old 11 Dublin Bus route with two new 24-hour routes following angry campaigning by locals in Glasnevin and Drumcondra.

The new routes were originally supposed to commence last December, but did not begin until the end of January following the NTA’s decision.

The deferral was celebrated by candidates including Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon, Fianna Fáil TD Paul McAuliffe and Fianna Fáil senator Mary Fitzpatrick.

Records released to The Journal under the Freedom of Information Act show that three local TDs – including Gannon and McAuliffe – and Dublin’s then-Lord Mayor had urged the NTA to review its plans to scrap the 11 route just weeks ahead of the election.

It came on foot of a ‘Save the 11′ campaign that sought to retain the route from Wadelai Park in north Dublin to the Sandyford Business District in south Dublin, which ran every 30 minutes.

The new 24-hour E-Spine routes run every 10 minutes from Dublin Airport, through Ballymun, Glasnevin and Phibsboro, before terminating at Parnell Square.

Locals had expressed anger that those who previously used the 11 bus would instead have to disembark at Parnell Square under the new system, and get a second bus to access the city’s main shopping districts and anywhere in south Dublin.

They also complained that scrapping the 11 and curtailing the 13 route – both of which served Drumcondra – would mean only one new route (the 19) would pass through the suburb as part of the new phase of Bus Connects.

On 31 October, Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon wrote to the NTA urging the authority to hold a meeting with himself and residents about the proposed changes.

In an email to a Higher Executive Officer with the authority, Gannon said that he had “genuine concern at the level of anger” from locals about plans to scrap the 11.

“I always think a good sit down meeting is the best means by which we can de-escalate this issue to the satisfaction of people who at the end of the day, just want to continue to avail of a service which you provide, and we all value,” he wrote.

He also referred to online petitions which had amassed more than 4,000 signatures calling for the 11 route to be saved. Two weeks beforehand, Gannon himself started a petition to “Save the Number 11 Bus” which garnered almoost 2,400 signatures 

The following day, Fianna Fáil’s Paul McAuliffe wrote to the NTA with a similar request for a meeting between the NTA and residents.

“You may be aware of the local campaign by residents in relation to the removal of the 11 Bus and replacement with the 19,” he said, referring to another new route that would be introduced as part of the plans and would serve Dublin Airport and outer suburbs.

“The residents have requested a meeting with local representatives and the NTA and some residents and I would be grateful if this request could be considered.”

In his email, McAuliffe also attached a list of concerns about the proposed route changes, including the impact the move would have on elderly residents and those with mobility issues.

McAuliffe also continued to post online about the changes after the election, informing Ballymun residents about the impending rollout of the E spine ahead of its commencement on 26 January.

Internal email correspondence between NTA officials about how they would respond to McAuliffe also referred to a “similar query” by Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe the week beforehand.

On 5 November, Fine Gael’s James Geoghegan – who was Lord Mayor at the time but who has since been elected as a TD for Dublin Bay South – also wrote to the NTA’s chief executive Anne Graham calling for the scrapping of the 11 to be reviewed.

The letter was written on behalf of Fine Gael councillor Colm O’Rourke, and said that although the new E spines would lead to an increase in services, local residents had called for the 11 bus to be kept.

On 14 November, the NTA drafted an email to politicians announcing that the introduction of the new routes would be postponed until after Christmas.

Emails between officials containing a draft response to politicians show that one official internally doubted whether the new E spine would go ahead in January when announcing its postponement.

The official wrote in an email to colleagues that he “wasn’t sure” about “pinning our colours to January”.

“Below is a proposed wording re [Bus Connects phase 6] to go to public reps tomorrow morning,” the official wrote about a draft statement on 13 November.

“I wasn’t sure the extent to which we wanted to pin our colours to January, so we can leave that bit in or take it out.”

A subsequent email clarified that the January date would be left in the announcement, and that date was later mentioned when the news became public that week.

The rollout eventually went ahead at the end of January, when the old 11 route ceased operation through Drumcondra (though a new version of the route still runs between Sandyford and the Phoenix Park).