Bus Éireann to cut major route in Waterford
The Route 4 Waterford to Dublin service runs seven times a day
In a statement on social media last week, Bus Éireann announced that the Expressway Route 4 (Waterford – Dublin) will cease running in May of this year.
They said: “Passengers, please be advised that from Sunday, 24 May, Expressway shall no longer operate the following services: Waterford – Dublin/Dublin Airport Ballina – Galway Rosslare/Wexford – Waterford. This commercial decision has been made after careful consideration and we apologise for any inconvenience caused to our customers. Any customer who has prebooked on these services shall be contacted by our customer care team and given a full refund.”
There are currently three buses that connect Waterford to Dublin: JJ Kavanaghs, Big Green Bus (Dublin Coach) and Expressway. Expressway is the only state-run bus service connecting Waterford to Dublin. Waterford is also connected to Dublin via train.
Many people in Waterford took to social media to express their disappointment at the decision. Sinn Féin TD for Waterford, David Cullinane, wrote on social media: “Deeply disappointed by Bus Éireann’s decision to withdraw key South East routes.
"The Waterford-Dublin/Dublin Airport service and the Rosslare/Wexford-Waterford route are important connections that people rely on every day.
"Public transport needs investment, protection and new routes, not cuts.
"I have written to Bus Éireann and the Minister for Transport asking that this decision is reviewed.”
Freya (who asked for her last name not to be included for the sake of anonymity) spoke to the about how this will affect her. Her grandparents live in Carlow, and she relies on the expressway bus to visit them. Now living in Cork, she went to college in Dublin and took the expressway to and from college every week.
She said: “There is the green bus, but it’s private, so they could cut that anytime they want or also charge exorbitant prices.”
Caitlin Roche got in touch with the and said: “What I don’t get is the fact that the Expressway bus, JJ Kavanagh and train all nearly give you the exact same time options instead of one of them operating at different hours, as I always get caught going to Dublin, I’m either two hours early or an hour late.”
Indeed, Ms Roche is not alone in her views, with repeated calls made by local representatives for an hourly train service from Waterford to Dublin.
