People Before Profit Galway have slammed the decision by Bus Éireann to cut expressway routes between Galway and Dublin and Limerick.
The company announced this week that it will be axing the routes connecting Dublin to Galway, Limerick, Cork and Belfast as well as the express service between Galway and Limerick as part of wider cuts to come into effect in early 2021.
People Before Profit say the decision will devastate many towns such as Ballinasloe, Loughrea and Craughwell leaving them with no direct service to Galway or Dublin, and they say questions still remain over the future of routes from many midland areas which feed onto the Galway-Dublin route.
“We believe that public transport is an essential public service and should be run on the basis of need rather than profit,” said People Before Profit Galway spokesperson Silvia Trentin.
The party added that pandemic presents an opportunity to reverse the trend of privatisation, by returning contracts to Bus Éireann to ensure services are maintained.
“We are calling on the Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan to intervene immediately to stop the cuts and protect and enhance these services,” said People Before Profit Galway spokesperson Cian Mortimer.
“He should put in the necessary funding to protect routes while moving to reverse the privatisation of bus routes.”
