Updated at 18:04 with alternative routes added

CHANGES TO BUS Éireann’s routes are essential to ensure their survival and to protect local jobs, bosses from the semi-state company told the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport today.

A number of the company’s commercial Expressway inter-city routes will end, cutting off many local communities who depend on them.

“If these changes aren’t made, then these services and their associated jobs will be lost,” said Martin Nolan, CEO Bus Éireann.

“We kept commercial services going to such locations for many years despite the low levels of use, but given the economic situation in the country, the new motorway network and cherry-picking of profitable elements of routes by competitors, unfortunately this is no longer possible.”

Bus Éireann’s commercial inter-city routes receive no state funding and are increasingly open to competition, said Nolan, meaning it had no choice but to limit the number of stops it could make.

The changes to services:

Wexford-Dublin Airport (Route 2)

The locations no longer being served on this route include Rosslare, Jack White’s Cross, Ballincor, Beehive, Ballycanew, Ballyedmond, Kilrane, Tagoat, Wicklow, Ashford, Kilmacanogue, Castleellis Cross.

There is a regular commuter service from Wicklow-Dublin Airport between Wicklow/Ashford/Kilmacanogue,

Customers wishing to travel from Rosslare to Dublin can still use our Route 40 service to connect with Route 2 in Wexford. Route 40 operates from Rosslare Europort to Wexford five times a day in each direction. The journey time between Rosslare Europort and Wexford is 25 minutes.

Route 40 also operates from Rosslare to Waterford, Cork and Tralee, and can be used to connect into our inter-city network of services to a wide range of our destinations across the country.

Bus Éireann also operates Route 370 from Rosslare to Waterford/Waterford IT and Waterford Regional Hospital via Wellingtonbridge. The service operates twice a day in each direction to/from Rosslare.

Ballina-Dublin Airport (Route 22)

Locations no longer served Moyvalley, Clonard, Kinnegad, Ballinafid, and Elphin.

Customers travelling from Moyvalley, Clonard and Kinnegad to and from Dublin can still use our Route 20 Expressway service, which operates nine times a day in each direction.

Customers travelling to and from Ballinafid can use the Bus Éireann route 115 service to and from Longford, Mullingar, Kinnegad and Dublin.

Carracastle will continue to be served on Route 22 on a six month trial basis once a day in each direction.

Donegal-Dublin Airport (Route 30)

Locations no longer served Swanlibar, Ballyconnell and Bawnboy.

The company intends to extend its public service obligation Monaghan-Cavan 175 route to provide six services a day in each direction from Swanlinbar, Bawnboy and Ballyconnell to Cavan and Monaghan subject to licence approval from the National Transport Authority. Customers can connect to inter-city services across the country including Dublin from our Cavan and Monaghan stations.

Bus Eireann “understand concerns” about curtailing of services>