A National Transport Authority decision not to intervene to fill the gap left by the withdrawal of the Aircoach Galway to Dublin route has been branded as 'appalling' by a local elections candidate. Taughmaconnell native, Sam Brooks, is running as a Sinn Féin candidate for South Roscommon in the upcoming local elections and is one of the youngest candidates in the country. The eighteen-year-old has commented on the recent withdrawal of services on the Aircoach Galway to Dublin route in early April, describing it as a further blow to rural public transport.
A report into the situation by the NTA has concluded that there is no state obligation to replace the Aircoach service that stopped in Ballinasloe and Athlone as part of its cross country route. In 2020, Bus Éireann ceased their own Galway to Dublin service leaving private operator Citylink as the only company providing a Galway/Dublin Bus. Sam Brooks says that the decision will have a major effect on local communities and commuters who relied on the service:
