BUS Éireann has confirmed that from this Friday, June 25 the last daily departure from Galway to Limerick on Expressway Route 51 will be at 7.05pm. This service had been temporarily suspended from May 15.
“As demand increases with the reopening of society, and with greater opportunities to work and socialise, we know this late service from Galway is important particularly to people in south Galway and Clare. We have worked with the National Transport Authority and are glad to reinstate this trip as the safe reopening of society continues,” said Brian Connolly, Western Region Operations Manager, Bus Éireann. “It was always the case that these necessary temporary suspensions would be reviewed subject to demand.” Currently and as a result of the severe impact of Covid-19 on passenger numbers, Bus Éireann operates Expressway routes under contract to the National Transport Authority.
Route 51 operates from Galway to Limerick and on to Cork. There are 23 trips a day between Galway and Limerick, starting at 7.05am from Galway and running hourly through the morning and afternoon. The route serves Galway Ceannt, Dublin Road, Oranmore, Clarinbridge, Kilcolgan, Ardrahan, Labane, Gort, Crusheen, Ennis, Clarecastle, Shannon Airport and Limerick Colbert.
All public transport continues to operate at 50% capacity, meaning the service can carry up to 23 people, depending on the vehicle in use. Face masks are mandatory on public transport, hand sanitiser is available on board, and enhanced deep cleaning is carried out on all Bus Éireann vehicles. Guaranteed seat booking for this service will be available at expressway.ie within a week of resumption, and is currently live for all other Route 51 services.