by Damian Dowds, Inishowen Independent
A NEW rural bus service serving all parts of
Inishowen will be launched later this month. The
Inishowen Rural Transport Programme, organised by
the Inishowen Development Partnership (IDP) and
funded by Pobal, will offer subsidised travel on
eight routes served by eight, 16 and 32 seater
vehicles. Routes and timetables will be published
next month, but feeder services will be developed
from Carrowmena via Culdaff to Carndonagh; Clonmany
via Dunaff to Buncrana; Muff to Burnfoot; and
Shroove to Quigley’s Point. An ad hoc dial a ride
service will be available from Mondays to Fridays,
while a small number of cross-Border routes to Derry
and Belfast will also be laid on in the run up to
Christmas.
Fares will be subsidised, and free travel passes
will be accepted on the service. The service will
tie in with the existing routes served by the Lough
Swilly Bus Company and Northwest Busways.
“This service will complement rather than compete
with the existing bus services,” said John Jackson
of the IDP. “We consulted widely with service
providers and the community in general earlier in
the year and got approval for the scheme in
September.”
Tenders have been received from local bus and
hackney operators and the scheme, which Mr Jackson
hopes will be up and running by the middle of
November, has secured funding up to and including
2010.
“The routes that we have identified are a starting
point, and as the service develops they may be
amended and improved upon,” Mr Jackson added. “We
also hope to put a permanent cross-border route in
place in the future.”
The routes are:
Tuesdays - Saturdays
(Carrowmena to Carndonagh return via Greencastle,
Moville, Culdaff, Glengad, Malin Head, Malin
Village.
Clonmany to Buncrana return via Dunaff, Desertegney,
Linsfort.
Muff to Burnfoot return via Iskaheen).
Wednesdays - Saturdays
(Carndonagh to Derry return.
Shroove to Quigley’s Point return).
Saturday Christmas Specials
(Carndonagh to Belfast via Clonmany and Buncrana.
Moville to Burnfoot return via Shroove and Quigley’s
Point).
To view IRT Bus
Timetables click
here.
|
