There's been a negative reaction to Bus Eireann cutting rural bus services in the South East.
The company, who say they are facing insolvency, have changed or cancelled a number of routes.
There's also an all out strike planned for March 6th as the dispute between staff and management rumbles on.
A meeting was held at Thomastown Community Centre recently to discuss the some of the cutbacks.
Local Independent Councillor, Breda Gardener explains people's concerns:
"Many people were very, very concerned and the outcome of the meeting was that people felt that if Minister Shane Ross and the Government didn't listen to the community and the people, because the Government has the authority here to do something about it.
Instead of taking Bus Eireann services away from the country they have to provide and leave that essential service that is already being used."
Gardener explains what happened at that meeting:
"The whole idea with the campaign is that we're now going to get a delegation together to go to visit Minister Shane Ross and to put the questions to him, why is he doing this?
He has to listen to people on the ground, as I said, the recovery maybe up in Dublin but it's not down here in the country.
This is people, using the vital service, the free passes.
There were a few students who also spoke.
They would normally take the bus to W.I.T or I.T Carlow"
Meanwhile The Transport Minister Shane Ross has been dubbed 'the invisible man' in the Dáil.
Minister Ross is continuing to insist he will not get involved in the Bus Éireann dispute with an all-out strike set to begin on Monday.
He told an Oireachtas committee yesterday that it is up to management and unions to resolve this and he refused to answer questions from reporters at an event yesterday evening.
Meanwhile the National Bus and Rail Union is advising workers to prepare for "the mother of all public transport disputes".
In a statement this afternoon the union says it is nigh on impossible to find a resolution between now and Sunday night given the complexities of the dispute.
Sinn Féin transport spokesperson Imelda Munster raised the Bus Éireann crisis in the Dáil this afternoon.
"The Government is happy to sit on the sidelines and let the chaos unfold," she said.
"The Taoiseach said this week that both he and the cabinet fully support the Minister for Transport.
"The same minister who acts as if his job description was written by H G Wells. Shane Ross the invisible man of Irish politics."
Ms Munster also said that Minister Ross refuses to engage with stake-holders.
"I am blue in the face of listening to both Minister Ross and government representatives saying that this is an industrial dispute.
"For the past five months you have been asked repeatedly to engage with all the stake-holders - the NTA, Department of Transport, Bus Éireann management and all the unions - and you've repeatedly refused."
