Bus Eireann 'monitoring closely' concerns of anti-social behaviour directed at Navan Town Bus Service

Bus Eireann has siad it is "concerned" and is "monitoring the situation closely,” after the town bus service in Navan came under attack by egg-throwing teenagers, with concerns raised locally over escalating anti-social behaviour in the Blackcastle area.

There have been several incidents of eggs being hurled at buses in Blackcastle over the past few weeks, as well as terrifying incidents with teenagers on e-scooters playing 'chicken' with the buses.

Cllr Eddie Fennessy said he had been contacted by local residents who raised concerns about anti-social behaviour directed towards buses on the local N2 service at Blackcastle.

“Eggs have been thrown at the buses several times over the past few weeks. And in a highly dangerous escalation, teenagers played ‘chicken’ with the buses by careering towards them at speed on scooters.

Warning that the attacks could affect the future of the services, he appealed to those responsible “to step back and think about the consequences of your actions. There are drivers and passengers on those buses whose safety you put at risk. This needs to stop immediately or you will cause the local bus service to be removed from your area for safety reasons.”

“The local bus service has been a godsend since it was relaunched in 2020. Communities right across the town have come to rely on it to move safely in and out of Navan town centre. It is a vital piece of transport infrastructure, and it must be protected from this type of behaviour.”

Cllr Fennessy recalled an incident in 2021 where a rock was thrown through the window of a bus while it passed through a local housing estate. “We faced the prospect at that time that the service would be pulled from that area by Bus Éireann and the Drivers’ Union’s to protect the drivers and their passengers. A public outcry was made by the local community, and thankfully, there were no further issues in that area.

“I am really concerned that if this behaviour continues, it will cause a re-routing of the service. Any such move would have a detrimental effect on the entire community. The N2 is a very busy service.

“From morning to night it is packed with school children, mums with buggies, wheelchair users, elderly people and everyone in between. It would be a travesty to lose it,” he said.

When contacted for comment, Bus Eireann said it was aware of recent incidents of anti‑social behaviour affecting services in the Blackcastle area of Navan. “These incidents are concerning and we are monitoring the situation closely.”

“The safety of our passengers and employees is of paramount importance to Bus Éireann, and any incidents reported are taken seriously and are fully investigated.

“We are engaging with An Garda Síochána to support their efforts and to help ensure that services can continue to operate safely. Customers or members of the public can report any incidents to Gardaí, to the driver, or to our Customer Care team on 0818 294 015.

“Bus Éireann remains committed to providing a reliable and welcoming public transport service in Navan.”