Call to extend town bus service to local villages

Athlone town's bus service should be extended out to some of the larger villages like Glasson and Ballykeeran in the future to benefit commuters, according to Athlone's only Green Party public representative.

Cllr Louise Heavin made the call on Friday last at the official launch of the town bus service going fully electric from Sunday, January 29 next, by her party colleague, Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan in Athlone Bus Station.

Delighted with the move, she said there have been big improvements in the town bus service in recent times, like the extension to Monksland, but she'd like to see more that would increase usage.

“I'd love to see bus shelters, live bus times so you're not relying on a timetable that mightn't know about the traffic, for example, so the whole bus system becomes more reliable and easier to use. If you're standing in the rain at a bus stop and the bus doesn't show up, it's very annoying and puts people off using the bus. Those kind of improvements will just increase usage over time so I'd definitely like to see them.

“There are couple of satellite villages and towns that could be brought in some way into the network because there are people there who commute in and out everyday. Well, you might say, Ballykeeran, Glasson, out on the outskirts of the town, the connection between Athlone and Monksland is crucial and to keep that and keep it reliable, but I'd like to see it broaden out to include some of the larger villages around (Athlone),” she said.

Speaking about the move to electric vehicles, she added: “Athlone isn't as big as a city so it's much easier to put in the infrastructure, but as well as that over the last couple of years we have seen a big increase in bus usage. The buses are more prominent, they go further, their timetables are becoming more reliable so it's great now that they are electric. Even more of a reason why people should try and use them.

“I'm really excited for the town and those people who don't have a car who struggle to walk places. They now have a handy bus service that is zero emissions,” she concluded.

The current A1 and A2 town routes cover areas like Bealnamulla, Monksland, Athlone Bus Rail stations, along with multiple town stops and close to local schools, Arcadia, Clonbrusk and right out to the TUS campus and Kilmartin's roundabout.