Plans for a 50% increase in bus services around Galway city have been announced by the National Transport Authority.
A redesign of the bus network is expected to see more routes, increased frequency and a new 24-hour service linking the west and east sides of the city.
The proposals form part of the Galway city Bus Connects plan and are aimed at bringing about a "fundamental transformation" of public transport.
Services around Galway, Bearna and Oranmore will increase by nearly 50%.
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The NTA says new routes will be added to serve the suburbs, with stops located within 400 metres walking distance from two thirds of residents in these areas.
In addition, the draft network envisages simpler fares, with one charge applying for 90 minutes of journey time.
The plan envisages busses running every ten to fifteen minutes on some routes, with fewer routes terminating in the city centre.
The Transport Authority says this will allow people to access places of work on the outskirts of the city within 30 minutes.
Plans for a 50% increase in bus services around Galway city have been announced by the NTA.
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) April 24, 2023
A redesign of the bus network is expected to see more routes and frequency and a 24-hour service linking the west and east of the city | More: https://t.co/7hexZHlpuz pic.twitter.com/ZH9MBof3Xz
Michelle Poyourow, from Jarrett Walker and Associates, was involved in drawing up the proposed network changes for the NTA.
She says that high patronage will be driven by better routes.
Under the proposals, a third of city residents would be within a five minute walk of a bus stop, almost double the number in that range at present.
Ms Poyourow says improved weekend and evening services are also crucial to the success of the plan.
She is confident that the changes can be implemented on the existing road network but points out that a number of infrastructural changes to the city's road network would also enhance the plan.
That position was echoed by the Deputy CEO of the NTA, Hugh Creegan.
He told a press conference for today’s launch that increasing services and ensuring connectivity were the cornerstones of the approach that led to the new proposals.
A public consultation on the proposals will run for the next six weeks.
As part of that, almost 50,000 brochures will be delivered to homes in and around the city.
There will also be a number of public information meetings and an online portal, where people can view route maps and other information.
The Chief Executive of Galway City Council said he was confident that the new services would improve travel times and assist the movements of those living, working and visiting the area.
Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, Mr Creegan said that he expects more than 20% of people to use the new bus network in the city.
He said "it will take time to fully develop the system and make it attractive to more people, but over time we'd expect to see a mode share of in excess of 20%" for public transport and that he would "expect to see similar high take up of cycling in the years ahead" as bike infrastructure improves.
Mr Creegan said making changes to bus infrastructure in the city is also a key area of focus.
"A better bus network is a better bus network, even if it is running on existing streets, but we do over time want to see improved bus priority to try to improve the bus flow through Galway city, improve the reliability and punctuality," he said.
"We’re looking for people to review it. We may not have got all the details right.
"We are looking for the local input to be able to refine the network, address any of the deficiencies that may be in the network and hopefully at the end of it, we end up with a finalised network that gives us a fit for purpose bus service for Galway city."
