Bus Éireann says ‘use it or lose it’ over rural routes

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 company told the Oireachtas transport committee yesterday that some of its 23 Expressway routes around the country were now under the microscope as Bus Éireann “could not trade recklessly” and keep services running where there was little demand.

The possible threat to rural bus services attracted a fierce response from committee members, who claimed there was growing evidence of a rural/urban divide. Irish Rural Link warned that a reduction in services would be “another nail in the coffin of rural life”.