Doughiska bus route tops million passengers in year

BY FRANK FARRAGHER

The success of the Doughiska-city centre bus service – now carrying an incredible one million passengers every year – could help to free-up funding for the roll-out of many more public transport corridors in the city over the next couple of years.

Bus Éireann confirmed to the Sentinel that passenger numbers on the No 9 Doughiska to city centre bus service had now reached the one million a year mark, accounting for about one third of revenue for the company in the city.

Brian Connolly, Bus Éireann Area Manager, said the success of this route had demonstrated quite clearly that public transport had huge potential for further expansion in the city, adding that the Dublin Road bus corridor had contributed hugely to the smooth running of this service.

“The Dublin Road bus corridor has been an overwhelming success and I would like to acknowledge the commitment and pro-active approach of the City Council to the provision of bus corridors in the city,” said Mr Connolly.

The city has also a number of design plans in place which could further streamline the service to the greater Doughiska area, including an exclusive public transport road corridor through the HSE lands at Merlin Park from the Galway Crystal outlet to the Doughiska Road.

The City Council has confirmed that it has an agreement in place with the HSE for the provision of this route over the coming years with early design plans in place for the road link, which will be dependent on funding from the Department of Transport.

Design plans are also in place for public transport bus corridors on the Monivea Road, Rahoon Road and Dock Road over the coming years, while work is already well under way on the Seamus Quirke Road, with a bus corridor link scheduled to be in operation in both directions from late next year.

Read more in this week's Connacht Sentinel