It’s claimed the survival of a North Clare village is under threat, amid new plans from the National Transport Authority to remove its stop from the main Ennis to Galway route.
It follows a community meeting held in Fanore yesterday where over 100 people turned out to express their opposition.
Fanore has been served by a direct link to Ennis and Galway for over half a century, but new plans could change this.
The National Transport Authority wants to increase frequency on the service so it runs between every 90 mins and 2 hours, but its changing some stops along the route.
This will include the removal of the Fanore stop and instead the community will be served by a new 350C route which is essentially a shuttle bus service between Ballyvaughan and Lisdoonvarna.
According to local resident Anne Pilkington, those wishing to travel to Ennis or into Galway will be waiting over an hour and a half for connecting busses and she believes the survival of Fanore is now under threat.
Elected representatives of West and North Clare have requested an urgent meeting with the National Transport Authority on the matter.
A further point of contention for locals is that the Guardian Newspaper previously dubbed the 350 Bus route from Ennis to Galway as the most scenic in Ireland, heaping praise on Fanore beach in the process.
The NTA’s public consultation phase will close on February 6th.
Local Fine Gael Councillor Joe Garrihy believes the plans should be scrapped.
Listen to the full interview here