“Disastrous”, “mind boggling”, and “shocking” is how Galway politicians have described Bus Eireann’s decision to cancel the 20/X20 Expressway service from Galway to Dublin.
The decision to cancel the service has been met with outrage and frustration, with Sinn Féin, the Social Democrats, and People Before Profit saying it will disadvantage rural communities, increase reliance on private transport, and do nothing to reduce carbon emissions.
Bus Eireann’s 20/X20 Expressway service from Galway to Dublin ceased operating this week. The service catered for Galway city, Craughwell, Loughrea, Aughrim, Ballinasloe, Dublin, and Dublin Airport.
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'Decimated'
The route is one of four expressway routes which have been cancelled following a viability review by Bus Eireann. Expressway services will continue to operate from Galway to Limerick/Cork, Sligo/Donegal/Derry and to Ballina.
People Before Profit’s Adrian Curran described the decision as “disastrous”. Both he, and Sinn Féin Galway East representative, Louis O’Hara, have called for the service to be reinstated.
“It further demonstrates how public transport in Galway has been decimated on Transport Minister, Eamon Ryan’s, watch,” he said. “Last year Knocknacarra was left without public transport for six months when City Direct suspended four routes. In May, six buses between Galway and Gort were cancelled, only one of which has since been reinstated.”
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Mr O’Hara [pictured above] called the decision “wrong and very disappointing”, especially as Loughrea and Ballinasloe have a “high demand for public transport”.
Bus Eireann said the decision was made following significant losses in 2020, which the company believes will continue in the next three years after the pandemic. Mr O’Hara disagrees, saying this “does not take into account the fact that demand for bus services would have increased significantly in the coming weeks and months now the country is beginning to open up again.”
Disadvantaging rural communities
Bus Eireann’s decision has also been criticised for disadvantaging rural communities, and leaving them without access to major public transport routes connecting the county with Galway city.
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“Commuters in Galway, Craughwell, Loughrea, Aughrim, and Ballinasloe, rely on these services for commuting to work or college, attending hospital appointments, and other vital journeys,” said Mr Curran [pictured above]. “This is a continuation of the gradual erosion of these routes in recent years, with stops in Oranmore, Kilrickle and Creagh being closed in 2018."
Social Democrats’ Galway City East councillor, Owen Hanley [pictured below], said rural public transport needs to be seen as a public service, and not simply through the lens of ‘profit or loss’ .
“Rural public transport is a public good, and is vital to the economic and social well-being of our towns,” he said. “It must be seen as a public service, rather than a commercial enterprise.”
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As a result, he has called on the Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan to increase the number of public transport routes, designated under the Public Service Obligation scheme, to help stop the decline in such routes, particularly in rural areas.
Cllr Hanley said PSO conditions can also be set so that workers’ rights, pay, and conditions are protected, providing good paying public jobs. “We desperately need more public transport in Galway, not less,” he said. “This has to be reflected in the levels of funding and support provided by the Government.”
Environmental impact
The cutting of a public transport route, at a time when the Government is encouraging the public to use public transport and rely less on cars in an effort to reduce carbon emissions, has been noted by Galway opposition politicians.
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“We talk about a modal shift, we talk about carbon taxes, but this kind of behaviour lets communities down,” said Cllr Hanley. “The Minister has the overall responsibility for the State in relation to public transport in this country, it lies at his door."
Roscommon-Galway TD, Claire Kerrane said it was “particularly shocking” that this was happening while a Green TD was Transport Minister. “He should be increasing sustainable modes of transport, not cutting them,” she said. “At a time when we are being told to reduce our emissions and use public transport, this decision is another nail in the coffin of rural towns.”
For Mr Curran, the cancellation of the service is evidence the Government is “not taking the climate crisis seriously”.
“This move will serve to increase carbon emissions as many people will now have no option but to rely on private cars due to inadequate public transport in Galway,” he said. “The Government should instead respond to the climate emergency by investing in free, frequent, and fast public transport to improve connectivity for towns and rural areas, reduce emissions, cut journey times, reduce traffic congestion, and improve air quality.”
