Withdrawal of Bus Éireann Rosslare Europort – Waterford Route 40 must be reversed
Withdrawal of Bus Éireann Rosslare Europort - Waterford Route 40 must be reversed - The Labour Party
Labour TD for Wexford, George Lawlor has expressed dismay at the decision to terminate the bus service connecting Rosslare Europort to Waterford, and committed to ensuring the issue is heard at the Oireachtas Transport Committee, and that the decision is reversed.
Deputy Lawlor said:
“I want to express my absolute dismay at Bus Éireann’s decision to terminate the Rosslare Europort to Waterford Route 40. This is a move that is as short‑sighted as it is damaging to the people of South Wexford and beyond.
“This route is not a fringe service. It is a vital artery for thousands of potential commuters, students, patients, and workers who rely on direct access to SETU, Waterford University Hospital, Whitfield Hospital, and onward connections to Cork. Its importance has been obvious to everyone except, it seems, Bus Éireann.
“I believe decision exposes a troubling reality: an organisation that has lost all ambition for public service. Rather than investing in, promoting, or developing a route with enormous potential, Bus Éireann has effectively thrown its hands up and declared that profit matters more than people. They have chosen to walk away from a service that could thrive with even a basic level of strategic marketing, timetable alignment, or community engagement in South Wexford.
“Public transport is supposed to serve the public. Instead, Bus Éireann has demonstrated a willingness to abandon communities when commercial convenience outweighs social responsibility.
“The withdrawal of Route 40 is an absolute failure to recognise the essential role that regional connectivity plays in education, healthcare access, and economic opportunity.
“South Wexford deserves better. The travelling public deserves better. Bus Éireann needs to be reminded that public service is essential, not an inconvenience.
“I will be seeking the people who saw fit to make this ambitionless decision to appear before the Oireachtas Transport Committee to explain this and also seek a reversal from the NTA.”