New Mayo-Dublin bus route 'a win for commuters'

A NEW bus route from Mayo to Dublin City and Dublin Airport has been described as a 'win for commuters' by Mayo TD Alan Dillon.

The new bus route from Castlebar to Dublin Airport will be operated by Citylink/GoBus and will commence on September 25. It will serve Castlebar, Claremorris, Tuam, Athlone, Dublin City and Dublin Airport.

The 721 route has a limited introductory offer of €5 each way and tickets will be available for pre-booking from Friday, September 1.

Mayo TD Alan Dillon welcomed the announcement of the new bus service which he said will 'seamlessly connect Castlebar, Claremorris, Tuam, Athlone, Dublin City, and Dublin Airport'.

Deputy Dillon, a member of the Oireachtas Transport Committee, said he had been calling for a major overhaul of public transportation between Mayo and Dublin, with a special focus on an express link to our capital city and airport.

"Earlier this year, I tabled a debate in the Dáil to highlight the inadequacy of the current inter-regional bus services, with no direct link from towns like Westport, Castlebar or Claremorris to Dublin City or Airport. The existing Expressway bus from Ballina (Route 22) catered only to certain regions of East Mayo. The launch of this new service signifies a major leap forward in bolstering the link between Mayo and Dublin,” said Deputy Dillon

“My determination and advocacy with the National Transport Authority (NTA) stressed the need for high frequency services to bridge Mayo with Dublin, keeping in mind growing demands for commuters, especially for students and tourists.

“It brings great satisfaction to note that the NTA heeded my concerns and is gearing up for this high-frequency luxury coach service next month to meet the needs of the Mayo people, which will also have a positive impact on tourism in the county.”

The timetable for the route has yet to be finalised but it is expected that it would include six return journeys per day, seven days a week.

Frances Cahill, Regional General Manager of Citylink said the new route allows them to provide a reliable transport solution to more communities.

“Our company is committed to making strategic and significant investments across the Citylink network to ensure stronger levels of connectivity are achieved, as well as ensuring our passengers are getting the best possible value,” she said.