Rural isolation fears over Bus Éireann route cuts

Rural isolation in Clare could be compounded if Bus Éireann slashes routes in the county as part of its cost-cutting measures, it was claimed this week.

Bus Éireann is expected to announce reductions to the frequency and routes of services in Clare and across the country after a Labour Court recommendation cleared the way for changes.
Bus Éireann has not yet released details of the services that will be affected but has said that an announcement will be made “shortly”.
“Service changes will be implemented but the question is when. We want to bring them in soon but we are conscious of recent weather conditions and they have to be factored in as well. What I would say on the service changes is that we haven’t disclosed yet what services will be affected yet but in making the changes we will try to minimise the disruption to customers as much as possible,” a spokesperson for the company told The Clare Champion.
Clare Fine Gael TD, Joe Carey, said this week that uncertainty surrounding Bus Éireann services has not been helped by an announcement from the company that Clare routes will be cut as part of cost-cutting measures.
Deputy Carey said that vital transport links must not be lost as a reaction to the current financial difficulties the company faces. He said that as a public transport service, Bus Éireann has obligations to service people in the most rural areas as well as the major urban centres.
“There is a huge fear now as regards which routes may be cut in County Clare. I have had many calls from constituents worried that vital transport links will be cut by Bus Éireann in the coming weeks. This is not acceptable. It is not acceptable for people going about their day-to-day lives. It is not acceptable for business in the region and it is not acceptable for tourist interests,” he stated.
“It should be remembered that we do not have an extensive local rail service in County Clare, therefore many people rely on bus routes to carry out their daily duties. Cutting these routes will also make it more difficult to encourage tourists to travel to more remote parts of the county. Already, a decision is being considered to close the tourist office in Kilkee. Were bus routes to be also cut in this area, then the region would be in danger of being further cut off from potential tourist revenue.”
Deputy Carey is calling for Bus Éireann to meet with local representatives in Clare before any decision on changes to existing routes is made.
“Perhaps some of these routes could attract more users if they had additional promotion or altered timetables. This information will only come from consulting the local communities involved. I have written to Bus Éireann, asking them to carefully consider the impact of any route cuts and to engage directly with the local community before making any decisions.”