Replacement service to be provided on Athlone-Westport bus route

The National Transport Authority (NTA) has said it will ensure that a bus service between Athlone and Westport remains in place. 

On Monday, Bus Eireann announced that its twice-daily service between the towns would be scrapped from April 16 next, as part of a cost-cutting package.

Yesterday, however, the NTA said it had a public service obligation to maintain services between Westport and Athlone.

'The Authority is planning to provide 4 services per day in each direction from Westport to Athlone supplemented by 2 services per day in each direction on route 440A from Westport to Ireland West Airport Knock (IWAK),' the NTA announced.

Details of the specific route and timetables are to be announced at a later date.

Westmeath-Longford TD Robert Troy said he was pleased his suggestion that routes which were not commercially viable should be maintained as a public service obligation was being taken on board.

'The core service has been protected and this route will be maintained and enhanced,' he said.

He also called on Transport Minister Shane Ross to engage with unions and management in order to help prevent next Monday's planned bus strike from going ahead.

“The current problems at Bus Éireann are not the fault of workers and the necessary savings cannot be made exclusively from tinkering with their contracts,' said Deputy Troy.

The NTA's announcement about the continuation of the Athlone-Westport bus route was also welcomed by Independent Roscommon-Galway TD Michael Fitzmaurice.

'Not alone have the NTA said that the route should stay open but that the service would be doubled to recognise the public service obligation involved. This is something that I and others have been working very hard on since the proposal to cut the route was announced,' said Deputy Fitzmaurice.

Some reservations were expressed, however, by the National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU). It said that in some cases where routes have been maintained through public service obligation contracts this was done by using shuttle buses or mini buses to deliver the services.

'In some cases the stops were minimal compared to what was on the route previously,' said NBRU General Secretary Dermot O’Leary.