In April 2025, Bus4U submitted an application to amend license 10001, which relates to services on Route 433 between Galway and Roscommon.
The amendment included
- the removal of services in both directions on Monday to Saturday
- the introduction of a third service on Sunday.
- and changes to the departure times for the majority of other services.
The aim of this determination is to assess this recent amendment in the context of Connecting Ireland. The determination will also assess whether this amendment significantly impacts the connectivity along the Galway to Longford corridor.
The Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan aims to improve public transport services in rural areas across Ireland. As part of this plan, the Galway to Longford corridor, which includes Routes 433, 425, and 426, has been identified as a key area for improvement, with the goal of increasing the frequency of bus services to a bus every two hours.
In circumstances where a commercial operator ceases or curtails services, the NTA will examine whether a public service obligation (PSO) exists to provide socially necessary but commercially unviable public transport services. Such examination will include an assessment of the demand for public transport services and options to either re-configure existing PSO services, including Local Link services, or to competitively tender for the provision of services. In either event, the NTA’s ability to provide such services is subject to the availability of funding.
The impact of this amendment is the following:
- The 06:00 service from Roscommon to Galway has been removed and a new service has been added to depart from Roscommon at 06:35, arriving at 08:20. Passengers needing to arrive by 07:30 may need to take a train with a change in Athlone.
- The 15:30 service from Roscommon has been removed from the timetable. Passengers can take the 440 at 15:56 and transfer to a train in Athlone to reach Galway by 17:59.
- The 07:45 and 21:15 services from Galway have been removed from the timetable. Passengers can take the 07:30 train to Roscommon, arriving at 09:30. The removal of the 21:15 service leaves no alternative option at that time.
- Passengers on Route 426 traveling to and from Longford via Roscommon will experience longer journey times due to the removal of services on Route 433 and timetable adjustments.
