Funding void leaves colleges as only Park and Ride option

With the traditional Park and Ride scheme from Galway Airport scrapped due to high costs and low take-up, it is envisaged that shoppers will use the existing 401 and 405 bus services on the Ballybane Road and St James Road to get to the city centre.

A Council report to city councillors this week notes that this is not a Park and Ride facility like previous years, rather it allows the use of the ATU car park at a cost of €10,000 for marketing, insurance, and security purposes.

The service would run from December 19 to 24, subject to formal agreement and sign-off by both Galway City Council and ATU.

Responding to a question from Cllr Frank Fahy (FG), Director of Finances Helen Kilroy confirmed that no money was set aside in the 2025 budget for a Christmas Park and Ride service. This follows an overrun last year, where the allocated €120,500 did not cover the full cost of the project.

While the report favours the ATU campus with the 401 and 405 bus routes as the most viable option, discussions with the University of Galway are ongoing.

Cllr Eddie Hoare (FG) is actively advocating for the use of the UoG car park.

The Council had reached out to both ATU and UoG on the availability of their car parks over the Christmas period and a report was to be drawn up based on their feedback, with a recommendation to follow.

Concerns were raised over the reliability of the 404 bus service, which forms part of the UoG proposal.

Cllr Fahy highlighted frequent complaints, a point echoed by Senior Executive Engineer Brendan Gallagher, who cautioned that Councillors could be directing the public toward an unsatisfactory service.

Cllr Fahy also suggested exploring the use of Church car parks as an alternative during the festive period.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.

Pictured: Cllr Frank Fahy