Waterford bus shelters which are ‘totally unfit for purpose’ costing €30,000 each

Bus shelters in Waterford that are “totally unfit for purpose” are costing €30,000 each, a council meeting has heard.

Fianna Fáil councillor Jason Murphy enquired about their procurement at the February plenary meeting of Waterford City and County Council.

Cllr Murphy said that there had been “a lot of noise” on local radio in relation to bus shelters in the days before the meeting.

He mentioned the case of one local bus driver, who spoke on the radio of his experience of driving buses across the country.

The bus driver believes that Waterford has less bus shelters than anywhere else in the country.

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Cllr Murphy continued: “There’s a lot of confusion about the procurement of bus shelters. I don’t think anyone is really sure how bus shelters are procured.

“Is it the NTA (National Transport Authority), is it the council, is it the advertiser on the side of the bus shelter, is it Bus Éireann?

“What is the actual process for procuring a bus shelter, how much do they cost and what is the actual role of Waterford City and County Council in the procurement of bus shelters?”

In response, Director of Services Gabriel Hynes said that the procurement of bus shelters is the responsibility of the NTA.

Mr Hynes said: “The NTA funds bus stops and shelters. They haven’t provided the funding, which our Active Travel team will watch.

“The difficulty with bus shelters is that the NTA procure them. One company was selected as the procured tender last year, that’s a European company and we are awaiting bus shelters to be procured.”

He continued by saying that local authorities across the country are on a waiting list for these bus shelters.

Labour councillor Thomas Phelan also spoke on the subject and said he agreed with the points raised by Cllr Murphy. He put a particular emphasis on their size and design.

Cllr Phelan said: “I’ve written to the NTA to say that the standard design is totally unfit for purpose. Most shelters that are in place leave people completely open to the elements.”

He continued by saying that most of these shelters can only fit 10 people, despite the fact that most of the buses are 52 seaters and there could be 8 buses running at one time.

“At this moment, if you can even call them bus shelters, they are presumably designed by someone at the NTA who has never waited in the rain for a bus.

“Unless this design is changed, bus shelters are unlikely to be effective in making public transport an attractive alternative to cars. I’m wondering if we can communicate that to the NTA.”

In response to Cllr Phelan, Mr Hynes said that the cost of a bus shelter is €30,000. He took note of the comments made and added that he would be meeting with the NTA over the next few weeks.

Later in the meeting, Fianna Fáil councillor John O’Leary reacted to the price of the bus shelters.

“I think it’s crazy - quoting €30,000 for a bus shelter. You’d get a back kitchen done for that, you’d nearly get a small garage done for that,” he commented.

Cllr O’Leary added that he has seen bus shelters in Northern Ireland which he believes are simply designed and costing much less than those south of the border.

In response, Mr Hynes again noted the comments made by Cllr O’Leary and said he would raise them with the NTA.