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New rural bus service starts shortly 04.11.08

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.

 

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