Fianna Fáil Senator Denis O’Donovan has condemned the sudden withdrawal of the bus service between Ballinspittle and Garretstown.
Senator O’Donovan commented: “The bus service between Ballinspittle, Garretstown and the Old Head of Kinsale was suddenly cut this week without warning, which I find disgraceful.
“There was no consultation, no advance warning and no justification given for withdrawing the service. In fact, management at Bus Éireann I spoke to said there was no issue with the service or how it is run, which makes this unilateral decision all the more puzzling.
“I raised the issue in the Seanad this week and incredibly the Minister for Transport refused to answer my question. The Minister is shirking his responsibility here and is passing the buck. I cannot understand why there is such a cloud of secrecy around this.
“It is yet another blow to rural Ireland and follows in the footsteps of proposed Government changes to the rural transport network, as well as the closure of rural Garda stations, post offices and bank branches.
“I am calling on the Minister for Transport to immediately ensure the Ballinspittle bus service is reinstated. People in the area, many elderly, have been left stranded with no bus service. This is no way to treat citizens of the country and I would urge a major rethink of the decision.”
