‘Buses can’t be driving around boreens,’ such was Mr. Kenny’s comments today in reference to the announcement that Bus Eireann is moving ahead with cuts to nearly one hundred services.
The company says that the services affected ‘are not viable’.
The Taoiseach said in the Dáil that because Expressway services are commercial, they cannot receive any State funding, and added that the reality is that some services have to be cancelled.
He stated that “change is necessary, and you’re not going to have mainline buses leaving the main routes from city to city and driving throughout the countryside.”
Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams expressed was disappointed at the Taoiseach’s comments. In fact, he went as far as saying that the Government has been a ‘disaster’ for rural Ireland.
Speaking in the Dáil, Mr. Adams said “Bus Éireann’s decision to axe almost 100 routes on its Expressway service represents a huge setback for the people of rural Ireland.
“Fifteen communities are now to be left without any direct bus services. Dozens more will experience drastic cuts to vital bus links.
“If these cuts go ahead, the major routes affected – Dublin-to-Cork via Kilkenny, Dublin-to-Waterford via Wexford, and Athlone-to-Westport will see 198 services-a-day fall to 105.
“This is a direct result of years and years of underfunding of public transport by the present and previous Government.”