A nationwide bus strike by Bus Éireann staff is looking increasingly likely after unions said they would not attend talks on cutbacks which equate to a pay cuts of up to 30%.

People living near certain bus routes have been told to "use it or lose it", with Bus Éireann warning that some services may be axed because they are not economically viable.

THE decision by Bus Éireann to axe almost 100 routes on its Expressway service is an indication of just how vulnerable the people of rural Ireland are when it comes to transport infrastructure. Fifteen towns and villages will be left without a direct link to Dublin in a move that Bus Éireann is blaming on low passenger numbers.