The head of Expressway has defended the increase in fares and the removal of buy on board options for open return tickets on busses serving the Shannonside region
It was announced this week that the price of a ticket on 14 Expressway routes will rise by an average of 5% with the Number 22 Dublin to Ballina and Number 23 Dublin to Sligo routes affected.
Open or Monthly return tickets will also not be available to buy on board and will need to be booked online in advance
The changes will take effect from the 31st of July
Andrew Yates, head of Expressway with Bus Éireann, has defended both decisions.
Speaking on the Joe Finnegan show this morning, he says more and more people are now booking in advance in the region and the previous system was not fit for purpose on airport routes due to demand.
"People who are buying an open return or monthly return, that customer has bought a second leg, a ticket to come back, but they're not guaranteed travel. So, if the bus is full, even though someone has a return ticket, they're not actually eligible for that service because they haven't booked onto the return service they want to board. The ticket was no longer fit for purpose particularly on airport routes. It wasn't guaranteeing a seat, yet they were buying a return leg. I hope I've made our reasons clear there".
