Transport Authority urged to intervene over "shock" loss of Athlone's Aircoach bus service
The forthcoming removal of the Aircoach bus service from Athlone has prompted a call by local TD Robert Troy for the National Transport Authority to intervene in order to ensure the town has sufficient bus connections to Dublin and Galway.
Last week it was announced that, from April 8, Aircoach is to end its services between Galway and Dublin city and airport.
For nearly three years now the company has been running ten buses daily in each direction, all of which served Athlone, while four also served Ballinasloe.
Deputy Troy said the announcement by Aircoach "came as a shock to the many people who depend on this service, and will have severe consequences for them".
The local TD last week wrote to Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Jack Chambers, saying the loss of the Aircoach route needed to be addressed by the National Transport Authority (NTA).
He asked Minister Chambers to "contact the NTA as a matter of urgency to review this withdrawal of service, to ensure sufficient connectivity between Athlone and Dublin, and to ascertain what plans they have to address the loss of this service."
Speaking to the Westmeath Independent earlier today (Tuesday), Deputy Troy said he would like to see the NTA "work with Bus Éireann, or another provider, to fill the gap" left by the Aircoach decision.
"Ultimately, the NTA is responsible for ensuring that we have adequate connectivity," said Deputy Troy.
"Athlone is a regional growth centre and a highly populated town. We have our third-level institution there, and many serious employers there, so it's important that we have sufficient connectivity.
"We want the NTA to move swiftly to ensure the decision by Aircoach is addressed, and the only way it can be addressed is to ensure another provider fills the gap."
He said that, in addition to writing to Minister Chambers, he had spoken to him by phone, and the Minister promised he would be following up on the matter when he returned home this week from his St Patrick's Day trip to New Zealand.
Deputy Troy said he was surprised about the Aircoach decision because he was aware its buses on the Galway to Dublin route had been popular with the public.
"From the level of emails my office has received, it's clear that a lot of people are concerned about this decision," he said.
"You would have thought, given the level of activity on this service, that it wouldn't have been one for the chop. And maybe that is the one silver lining here - it may not be too challenging to attract (another provider) into this service given how highly utilised it was."
Bus Éireann's 20/X20 route between Galway and Dublin was discontinued in July 2021, and in the same month Aircoach began running its 706/706X commercial service between the two cities, serving Athlone, having been granted a licence by the NTA to operate the route.