Waterford set for new bus service after shock termination of Dublin Airport route
The NTA has announced a new bus service serving a number of towns and villages between Waterford and Carlow
Waterford is set for a new bus service after the shock termination of the Expressway service to Dublin Airport.
The National Transport Authority (NTA) has announced the introduction of TFI Route 365, a new bus service serving communities between Waterford and Carlow.
This follows Expressway’s recent withdrawal of its Route 4 service, which travelled from Waterford city to Dublin Airport.
Following Expressway’s announcement, the NTA undertook a detailed assessment of the potential impact to customers.
This review identified that the loss of Route 4 would “significantly reduce public transport connectivity between Waterford and Carlow, particularly affecting a number of towns and communities along the corridor”.
As a result, the NTA is introducing the new route as a subsidized Public Service Obligation (PSO) bus service to maintain vital transport links and support regional accessibility.
The service will be operated by Bus Éireann on an interim basis and provide four daily return journeys.
Route 365 will serve all towns and villages along the corridor currently served by Route 4.
In addition, there will be new stops in Thomastown, Muine Bheag and Dungarvan village as the NTA aims to provide greater connectivity at local level.
However, the service will not go as far as Dublin Airport in the same way that the previous Expressway service did.
On this, an NTA spokesperson said: “Passengers travelling onwards will benefit from convenient connections in Carlow to existing bus and rail services to Dublin and beyond.”
They added that the NTA will continue to monitor and review the service to ensure it meets passenger needs.
In April, Bus Éireann announced its decision to withdraw its Express services from Waterford to Dublin Airport and Rosslare.
The NTA subsequently deemed that it had a public service obligation to ensure that part of the service between Waterford and Carlow remains operational.
However, it is understood that it has not come to the same conclusion on the Rosslare service, which is due to be withdrawn on May 24.