Bus Éireann to halve level of town service

Bus Éireann has said this week it will halve the frequency of Athlone town bus service as part of its cost recovery plan. The changes will come into effect on Sunday, February 28, and the company said this week it will maintain as many of the peak time services as possible. Bus Éireann spokesman Andrew McLindon said the town service currently operates about 100 departures daily between the two routes, which link the likes of Monksland, Willow Park and Garrycastle with the town centre, but from February 28 this will drop to 50 departures a day. Mr McLindon said the routes currently have an average load of five passengers with some buses empty during the day. "We will try to maintain as many departures throughout peak times as possible and try to minimise the inconvenience to the customer where we can," said Mr McLindon. Also affecting Athlone will be the dropping of the 2.45pm service from Athlone to Cork, passing through Roscrea, but the service will operate once daily in each direction. Mr McLindon also pointed out that there are alternatives to the 2.45pm service available. The company's cost recovery plan involves a reduction of approximately 250 positions across the organisation, alterations to work practices and terms of employment, and changes to services with low customer support. Bus Éireann has received the required number of applications for its voluntary redundancy scheme under the plan. The changes to commence at the end of the month are the first phase in the company's planned changes. Sinn Féin Cllr Paul Hogan has described the bus company's decision as a recipe for disaster for many people.