Senior citizens from a north Wicklow town are being forced to shell out huge sums to make it to hospital appointments due to a lack of bus services in the area.
Bray residents are calling for the return of a regular bus service from the town to St Vincent's Hospital.
Elderly locals currently have to take two buses to get to the hospital or rely on taxi journeys to make their appointments on time.
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Local woman Margaret Doyle told Dublin Live the cost of these journeys took a hefty chunk out of older people's pensions.
She said: "A lot of senior citizens, it's costing them €35 in and €35 back if they're getting a taxi to be seen on time."
She added: "It's not fair on the senior citizens. That's a huge chunk out of their pension and they're struggling as it is."
A spokesman for Dublin Bus said there was a service that runs directly from Bray to the hospital.
He said: "Route 84a provides customers in Bray with a direct link to St.Vincent’s Hospital.
"Customers in Bray can also use Routes 145 and 155 which will leave them a short walk away from the hospital."
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But Margaret said the 84a was the "worst service going".
According to Dublin Bus' current timetable, the 84a runs from Bray at 8:15am, 9:35am, 10:20am, 5:25pm and 6:25pm.
The concerned local added that the "short walk" from the alternative bus routes could prove difficult for an elderly person or someone with a disability.
She said: "You either have to get a bus and walk from RTE all the way down Nutley Lane in the lashings of rain and cold weather or from the DART station."
Local councillors told Dublin Live the lack of a direct bus service is a huge issue in the area.
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Councillor Joe Behan said: "It's extremely difficult for people who are reliant on public transport to get to Vincent's, particularly because Loughlinstown Hospital was downgraded a couple of years ago and Vincent's was made the acute hospital for the entire north Wicklow and south Dublin region.
"This means more people are having to go to Vincent's."
Councillors say they have repeatedly raised the issue with Dublin Bus and BusConnects.
Councillor Behan added: "When the new proposals about BusConnects come out in the summer we'll have another chance to raise it with the NTA then because that will be a second round of public consultation and I'm certainly going to raise it."
Councillor Christopher Fox echoed his colleague's comments, saying there was huge demand for a direct bus service.
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He said: "The two locations we need a direct access to are St Vincent's Hospital and UCD.
"You're talking about two groups of people - the very young and in a lot of cases the elderly."
"You don't want elderly people who have just been to a hospital appointment to be waiting on buses and getting on and off buses maybe in bad weather."
