Bus services from Galway city to Carnmore, Maree, and Annaghdown are "almost non-existent" and leaving people in these areas "cut-off and isolated", according to a Galway senator.
Independent Galway West Senator Fidelma Healy-Eames is calling for an extension of the bus service connecting Carnmore to Galway city, describing the area as "particularly poorly serviced", as it only runs only once a day at 7.40am.
"Carnmore is only a few miles from the city and yet there isn't even a regular multi-trip service to and from Carnmore Cross," she said. "People feel cut-off and isolated'. I hear the same story in Annaghdown and Maree."
Sen Healy-Eames said people in the abovementioned areas, say the current one early morning a week service is "not practical for middle aged and older people who have no cars and need to get into the city at later times of the day".
The Maree based politician said the Government must "bite the bullet" and properly invest in "reliable regular public transport", otherwise "people will not or cannot change their 'car dependency' habits".
"There needs to be a number of reliable bus services a day to allow residents who have no transport of their own to reach the city, and more generally, to get people out of their cars and using buses," she said, "otherwise the service fails and people have to make other plans."
