In just one week, more than 400 people in Oranmore have expressed support for a proposal to pilot an express bus service into Galway city.
That level of engagement did not come from slick campaigning or lofty promises. It came from a simple question commuters ask every day: can I rely on this bus to get me where I want to be on time?
For many travelling from Oranmore, the problem with public transport is not the number of buses scheduled, but whether those buses actually arrive when they are supposed to. Missed connections, unpredictable delays and congestion entering Galway has become the norm. Over time, that unreliability pushes people back into their cars, even when they would prefer to use public transport.
The proposal, known as Route 404A – the Oranmore Express, is a response to that reality. It sets out a limited-stop, peak-time commuter service linking Oranmore town centre, Oranmore Railway Station, Parkmore Industrial Estate and Eyre Square.
The idea is deliberately modest: Separate longer-distance commuter journeys from local stopping services, and prioritise predictable journey times over additional stops.
In recent years, debate about Galway’s bus network has often focused on frequency. Frequency matters, but it is not the same thing as reliability. A bus that comes every ten minutes is of little comfort if congestion means you still do not know when you will arrive.
For Oranmore commuters, reliability is the missing piece. An express service offers a practical way to address that.
Fewer stops mean fewer delays. Direct access to Parkmore Industrial Estate improves connectivity to one of the region’s largest employment hubs. A rail–bus interchange at Oranmore Station creates more flexibility for commuters.
None of this requires major infrastructure, or the removal of existing local services.
The proposed service would operate during morning and evening peak periods, initially on an hourly basis. This is intentional. It is designed as a pilot, with clear performance targets and a formal review period, rather than a permanent redesign rolled out without evidence.
If it works, it can be refined. If it does not, it may be adjusted.
What has been striking in recent days is the consistency of feedback from residents. People are not asking for grand visions or complex network maps. They are asking for something far more basic: buses they can trust.
The rapid support for this proposal, much of it emerging through a local Oranmore community Facebook page, reflects that shared experience.
The National Transport Authority has set clear objectives around reliability, congestion management, rail–bus integration and emissions reduction. A targeted express commuter service aligns with those goals, and mirrors approaches used successfully in other cities, including Dublin.
People do not abandon public transport because they dislike buses, they abandon it because they cannot rely on them.
If we want commuters to make different choices, we first have to give them a service they can trust.
Sai Gujulla is a community activist supported by Community Foundation Ireland
