Bus Éireann: Meath won’t be affected by route cuts

Bus Éireann's decision to axe some its Expressway routes will have no impact on services to Meath, according to the company.

In fact it has been predicted there could be enhanced services to the county as a result of the cutbacks.

“Thanks to government supports we will be able to invest in enhanced commuter routes and they will be announced in due course,” a spokesperson said this Morning (Tuesday).

On Monday the company announced it would be axing Expressway routes between Cork-Dublin and Limerick-Dublin and the Dublin to Galway route.

The service between Dublin and Belfast is to be "suspended indefinitely".

Yesterday, Bus Éireann Chief Executive, Stephen Kent said there was room for expansion of services to Navan.

He commented that resources would be moved to where services were needed.

Bus Éireann blamed the pandemic for the decision to axe the routes, saying it was in response to "significant medium-term challenges posed by Covid-19 in order to safeguard Expressway’s remaining 14 national routes and meet demand required on other city and commuter services".

No firm date has yet been set for the route stoppages, but Bus Éireann said: "changes are likely early next year when the current commercial bus operator emergency supports to the Cork, Limerick and Galway routes expire".

Deputy Darren O’Rourke called on Minister Eamon Ryan to clarify the funding situation for key public transport services.

“Reports in the media suggest that the National Transport Authority has warned the Minister for Transport that €460 million extra will be needed to fund public transport until the end of 2020.

“Certainty is urgently required here, for the thousands of employees in Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, but also for the hundreds of thousands of commuters who rely on their services each day.

“The previous Minister for Transport, Shane Ross, told the Dáil in June that he brought a memo to cabinet seeking an additional €460 million for public transport provision in 2020.

“Minister Ryan needs to now clarify if this funding has already run out, whether hundreds of millions extra will be now be needed for the remainder of 2020, and how the original calculations in June were so far out if this is the case.

“In addition, Bus Éireann signalled they will be cutting key inter-city routes due to the financial restraints.

“These inter-city bus routes are vitally important for workers and those travelling between our main cities. Simply scrapping them cannot be an option.

“Minister Eamon Ryan needs to intervene urgently to ensure Bus Éireann has adequate funding to maintain these important routes.

“It’s unacceptable that a sustainable funding plan hasn’t been put in place for our public transport network during the ongoing pandemic.

“We can’t continue to limp from one crisis to another in this area. I’ll be asking the Transport Committee on Wednesday to invite the Minister in as soon as possible to answer questions on this.”