Irish Citylink completes purchase of rival GoBus

Irish Citylink, the bus company which has routes serving Moate, Athlone and Ballinasloe, announced today that it had completed the purchase of rival company GoBus from its present owners.

The purchase, reportedly for a sum of €12 million, was described by Citylink as "a significant step forward for the company in expanding its network throughout Ireland."

"Having navigated the challenges of Covid-19, and as we are rebuilding and expanding the range of services we offer to the travelling public, the addition of the GoBus network will enable us to provide significantly more options to both Citylink and GoBus customers," said David Conway, Regional Director of Irish Citylink.

"This enhanced network of services will encourage more people to travel via public transport and support our greater green agenda of moving towards a sustainable public transport network."

Citylink said the purchase of GoBus was part of its strategy to become the largest operator of intercity coach services in Ireland.

Commenting to the acquisition, Frances Cahill, General Manager of Irish Citylink, commented, "This is just the beginning - The acquisition of GoBus brings so many new opportunities to the business in terms of employment, funding for local sponsorships, and the services we can provide for our passengers.

"We are absolutely delighted to bring two reputable transport providers together to provide an expanded network of routes and an even better customer experience for our current and future passengers."

Irish Citylink, a wholly owned subsidiary of ComfortDelGro group headquartered in Singapore, started in Galway almost 20 years ago, while GoBus, established in 2009, operates coach services across three main routes serving Galway, Dublin, Cork, and Ballina.

Irish Citylink operates a range of services in Galway, Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Clifden, Loughrea, Athlone, Ballinasloe, and more.

The company currently carries over 28,000 passengers per week across all routes which is forecasted to grow to 35,000 later this year.