1,000 signatures reached
To: Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan
Improve the 350 Bus Service
This campaign has ended.
Increase the frequency of buses on the 350 Bus Route and the capacity of the buses.
Why is this important?
The 350 bus service is highly used, connecting rural villages such as Kinvara, Ballinderreen, Ballyvaughan, Doolin and surrounding areas with Galway city. For many young people this is their only means of travel to Galway city, it is especially important to those attending university in town as with the housing crisis students often cannot afford or even find accommodation in town and rely on this service.
Despite the amount of people this bus service should be serving, people are frequently left stranded at their bus stop due to the bus already being packed full at the Cliffs of Moher and other tourist attractions along the way.
On several of occasions in the last two years I have waited up to an hour for the bus to arrive only for it to drive past the stop without even stopping in Kinvara, where more than ten people have been left to find alternative ways to town. This is especially frustrating to those trying to get the five o'clock bus on weekend days as the next bus does not come until 8. I was driven to make this petition with my friend Síofra when only today she was left stranded by a passing bus in Kinvara, for the third time since she has started university.
Additionally, TFI provide this route with the lower capacity buses which have room for significantly less passengers than the buses used to serve Gort and its surrounding areas.
The 350 bus route was referred to the Guardian as being "the most scenic bus route in Ireland" in 2022, as most of the route is now part of Discover Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way tour. While one can appreciate the push for tourists to avail of slow travel and it is wonderful to see our surrounding areas being promoted, the 350 bus service is not a luxury to us as locals, it is a necessity.
Signing this petition is a demand for change from the National Transport Authority (TFI) to provide more frequent buses as there is a very clear demand for hourly bus services. I am sure if you ask any bus driver on this route they will be very familiar with this problem, but unfortunately it is not in their control to change this. It is up to the National Transport Authority to acknowledge this problem and resolve it with an increased servicing of this area. TFI are unlikely to attend to this issue without political power behind us as individuals, but collective action and a push from local Councillor Joe Byrne, Galway South-East TD's Ciarán Cannon, Séan Canney and Anne Rabbitte could be all we need for this change to happen.
If you have been affected by the poor servicing, we understand your frustration! Please consider signing this petition, which will be presented to the relevant TDs and our local Councillor as well as TFI. Please also consider sharing this petition as I'm sure you know someone who has also experienced this.
Thank you,
Aoibhín and Síofra