‘Short sighted decision to cut 20-X20 route must be reversed – Deputy Clarke

The Dublin to Galway 20-X20 Bus Éireann route that served Kilbeggan, Kinnegad, Athlone and Moate, before it was cancelled earlier this year should be restored as a “matter of urgency”, Deputy Sorca Clarke says.

Speaking after a Sinn Féin organised online petition calling for the restoration of the service received more than 1700 signatures, the Longford Westmeath TD says that the decision to cancel the service was “incredibly short sighted” and needs to be reversed as “a matter of urgency”.

“Towns like Kinnegad are going to be deeply affected by this. I would have got the bus home countless times from Dublin myself, so it’s not just the towns themselves, it’s the neighbouring towns that are affected too.

“You are also talking about an area where the train station has yet to be delivered on. So when it comes to public transport, the question that needs to be asked to the minister is: why are all the resources going to the larger cities that are already well served while our rural communities are essentially being cut off at the knees when it comes to public transport?”.

Deputy Clarke added that if the government wants to encourage people living in rural communities to use public transport, there will need to be a significant investment in the sector. “If you look at this in its totality, you have climate change and the need to reduce our carbon emission,” she said.

“The leader of the Green Party seems very much to be pushing people towards using public transport, but at the same time reducing public transport services in our area. It is just not good enough.

“We also know that the cost of used cars is actually increasing rather than decreasing, and the availability of education, recreation and employment is not in these areas, so transport is absolutely essential. It isn’t a discretionary need, it is an essential service for the towns that the bus route runs through. The decision is so short sighted.

“When you look at the number of towns that are serviced by this route from Dublin all the way to its finish in Galway – you are talking about towns that don’t have any other options. The private operators that are coming in are not what we believe are the solution in this situation,” she said.