Minister Calleary calls on NTA to reverse Mayo bus service cuts
Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht Dara Calleary has urged the National Transport Authority (NTA) to reverse its decision to reduce the 450 bus service on Achill Island.
The 450 service currently operates from Dooagh to Louisburgh via Westport, with stops on Achill including Dugort and Dooniver.
However, under new proposals announced by the NTA on February 12, the service will no longer serve the existing stops at Dugort and Dooniver from February 22.
In a statement, the NTA said passengers in Dugort and Dún Ibhir will still have access to public transport through TFI Anseo, its Smart On-Demand service currently being piloted on Achill for a 12-month period.
The NTA said customers could use the on-demand service to travel to Gob an Choire or Mulranny, where they could then connect with routes 450, 460a or 460b to Westport, Castlebar or Béal an Mhuirthead.
However, Minister Calleary said the move was “not a good idea”, warning that the pilot service should not be used as justification for cutting existing routes.
“TFI Anseo has been game-changing for Achill and is a wonderful service, but it is still a pilot scheme that is still getting off the ground, so it cannot be used as an excuse for this change,” he said.
“There has been no confirmation that it will be continued, and, in any event, it does not replace the service adequately. Will passengers be expected to pay two fares under this new proposal?”
The minister said the removal of the two stops would have a major impact, particularly in Dugort, which he described as one of Achill’s most popular tourist destinations.
“While the NTA are proposing to remove only two stops, these stops service a huge area of Achill,” he said. “Dugort is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Achill which sees its population increase by thousands in the summer months. TFI Anseo is nowhere near ready to meet this demand.”
Local cllr Paul McNamara has also criticised the proposed changes, saying they could isolate communities on the north side of the island.
“This cannot be allowed to go ahead. People travel from all over the north side of the island to these two bus stops,” he said.
“It is essentially cutting a whole cohort of local people off from daily life, people who are reliant on this service all year round.
Also, I would invite anyone from the NTA to come to Dugort in June, July or August to see the volumes of people who are here and let them justify this decision.”
Minister Calleary said he has contacted the NTA directly and is calling for the decision to be reversed to allow for full engagement with stakeholders.
“I am calling on the NTA to reverse this decision to allow for full engagement with all stakeholders.
I feel it has been made in haste without assessing the full consequences,” he said.
He added that he would also be raising the matter with Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien at the earliest opportunity.