A local man has raised his concerns in relation to a bus route that was unable to operate yesterday. According to Jack from Co Cavan, the Bus Éireann route from Athlone to Cavan (Route 466) did not appear when it was scheduled for 5.30pm.
Speaking on this morning's Joe Finnegan Show, the Cavan man described the incident as "unacceptable." He added that this was not an "isolated" incident, having found himself in a similar situation only a matter of weeks ago.
Jack explained; "About two weeks ago prior to this, I was in Athlone on a Sunday and waiting for the 5.30pm bus. At the last second the bus didn't run, so I had to go out of my way and travel on the train to Dublin's Heuston Station, from there I travelled on the Luas to the Busáras Central Bus Station where I had to wait even further for a bus back to Cavan."
Meanwhile, in a statement issued to Northern Sound, Bus Éireann confirmed that "regrettably" the 5.30pm service from Athlone to Cavan was unable to operate yesterday (May 14th). According to the service, the situation occurred to a lack of driver availability.
When it became clear that the service could not operate, the cancellation was posted on the Bus Éireann website, however on this occasion website notification was delayed while efforts were made to find a solution.
Bus Éireann also confirmed that the service is "actively" recruiting for drivers in Athlone, and held a successful Open Day in the town on April 23rd, with new drivers beginning from next week.
