Shuttle bus to ease parking chaos at Achill’s Keem Bay
By Tom Gillespie
AN enterprising Achill coach hire operator has come up with a solution to the car parking chaos that forced gardaí to close off access to the world famous Blue Flag beach at Keem Bay on the island.
Michael Gallagher and his first cousin, Mike Reddington, are now running a weekend shuttle bus from Keel village to Keem Bay. And for July and August the service will be a seven-day one.
The 15-minute bus ride costs €5 return and €15 for a family ticket (two adults and two children under 12), and the shuttle runs every 30 minute.
Michael told me how the shuttle bus idea came about: “I was back at Keem Bay three weeks ago and you could not get in or out of the area because it was so packed.
“Mick and I agreed the only way to go was to put on a shuttle bus. We have all the insurances and licences. We put it to Achill Tourism and they thought it was a great idea.”
Michael explained how once the car parks fill up at Keem Bay the motorists just park anywhere, even on yellow lines.
He added: “It is basically health and safety. We all want people coming to Keem Bay. We started shuttling from Keel and we had a lot of the camper van people availing of the shuttle as well as a lot of locals.
“We think it is the only safe way for everyone to be able to get back and over to Keem Bay at any time of the day.
“If the footfall increases we will put on an extra bus. Hopefully now with a traffic plan in place it will be smoother.
“We would like to see a drop-off and pick up point at the bottom car park of Keem Bay which would suit parents with young children and pensioners.
“At the minute we are just dropping passengers at the top car park because we cannot get down to the bottom one.
“The gardaí had to close off access to Keem Bay the weekend before last because of health and safety. The car parks fill up every quickly and because there is only one way in and one way out there can be a lot of confusion.
“For those using the shuttle bus, we have parking available at Keel, at the Achill Head Hotel and at Lourdie’s. There is no extra cost for parking as we have made a deal with those premises.
“Our objective is to get people over and back safely. Many motorists might be wary of driving down to Keem Bay because of the sheer cliffs, so the shuttle bus is the answer.”
Michael continued: “We have a 40-seater coach so we can take 20 at a time to comply with Covid regulations. We don’t want the messages to go out at 11 o’clock in the morning that Keem Bay, one of the nicest beaches in the country, is closed.
“With a traffic plan in place and the cooperation of the public it will run very smoothly. We do want to stress that everybody is welcome to come the island and enjoy it in a safe way.”
The Keem Bay shuttle runs from 10.30 a.m. from Keel Sandybanks and Caravan and Camping Park with pick ups along the way at the Achill Head car park and at Lourdie’s car park.
To book a seat on the shuttle, call (083) 8997062.