Bus Éireann to operate between Dunmore East, Waterford and Portlaw
changes to Expressway services in the south-east
Bus Éireann is pleased that it will operate Public Service Obligation (PSO) services connecting Portlaw, Waterford city and Dunmore East from 1 November 2022, under contract to the National Transport Authority (NTA), and to support the NTA over time in the development and expansion of this route.
Changes are being made to the route and services operated by the Expressway commercial intercity coach service between New Ross, Waterford and Dublin / Dublin Airport. From Tuesday, 1 November 2022, four of the 12 daily round-trips between Waterford and Dublin / Dublin Airport will be suspended, in response to low levels of customer demand. These services include the three daily X4 round trips to New Ross which will no longer operate.
The Expressway 40 service will continue to link New Ross and Waterford with 12 services daily and 10 on Sunday and public holidays. Bus Éireann public obligation services to New Ross, operated on behalf of the NTA, provide 11 trips a day between Waterford and New Ross Monday to Saturday.
“Overall, Bus Éireann is growing and expanding in the south-east and we look forward to future opportunities to increase our network in the region,” said Stephen Kent, Chief Executive Officer, Bus Éireann. “We are glad to continue to offer strong connectivity between Waterford and Dublin / Dublin Airport with 112 Expressway services a week and to assist the NTA to continue improving regional connectivity with Waterford city. These service changes continue to balance supply with demand ensuring connectivity and we are grateful to our customers and our employees for their support.”
“Nationally, Expressway’s passenger numbers have now recovered to pre-pandemic levels,” said Eleanor Farrell, Chief Commercial Officer, Bus Éireann. “However, this growth in customer demand has not been the case on all Route 4 services. As a commercial business, Expressway operates without subvention and we are continually reviewing the network to match areas of greatest demand. The consolidation of Route 4 services has been carefully planned to result in a more secure and sustainable service linking Dublin and Waterford, and will be kept under review.
“Any customer who has prebooked on impacted Expressway services will be contacted by our customer care team and offered a full refund or a transfer to an alternative service,” she concluded.
Expressway will continue to operate eight daily round-trips between Waterford and Dublin / Dublin Airport. These also serve Mullinavat, Ballyhale, Thomastown, Gowran, Royal Oak, Leighlinbridge Cross, Royal Oak and Carlow.
Tuesday, 18th October, 2022