The National Transport Authority (NRA ) must explain the reasoning behind its refusal to grant a Galway bus company a licence to operate a higher frequency service along the soon-to-be completed Seamus Quirke Road and Bishop O’Donnell Road, according to Galway West Fine Gael Deputy Seán Kyne.
While welcoming the investment of a new bus corridor along the new road Deputy Kyne has requested that the NRA explain why it refused to grant City Direct a licence to operate a 15 minute frequency service along the same route.
“The investment in the bus corridor needs to be realised through the provision of public transport services, and so I have written to the National Transport Authority requesting an explanation in light of the rejection of City Direct’s offer to provide citizens with a high frequency service. Without doubt, the cost overrun and the delay in the bus corridor project should not have occurred and the issue of including penalty clauses in contracts put out to tender by councils needs to be examined.”
Deputy Kyne concluded: “However, the work of the Galway Transportation Unit in tackling the city’s traffic problems must be ackowledged. The recent criticism which the bus lanes and the traffic control measures have attracted is unfair and premature. While the Galway City Outer Bypass remains a key priority and will prove crucial to solving transport issues across the region, the bus corridor and traffic control measures need to be given time to prove their effectiveness and worth.”
