Travel ‘war’ leads to cut in bus & train fares

Date Published: 19-May-2009

THERE never has been a better time to leave the city . . . or for that matter to get back to it . . . as bus and train operators offer cut price deals in a scramble to woo a dwindling customer base.

With the recession biting, and disposable income being watched far more closely than at any time over the past 10 years, the travelling customer base has declined, according to the big players in the transport business.

But Iarnród Éireann, Bus Éireann and two big private bus operators between Galway and Dublin – Go Bus and Citylink – have responded by offering a series of special deals, aimed primarily at the online market.

GoBus – the firm of Jim Burke, Tuam – laid down the marker over recent months with a €10 single adult fare between Galway and Dublin. Now Bus Éireann have joined in the pricewar offering a ‘limited number’ of monthly returns on main routes out of the city including Galway-Dublin for €14.30c – this fare is only available online.

Iarnród Éireann, which now provides seven services a day between Galway and Dublin, is…