Mayo student forced to commute to college by motorbike due to lack of public transport

COMMUNITY NOTES: BALLYHAUNIS - WESTERN PEOPLE (APRIL 15 EDITION)

A student living near Aghamore has been forced to commute by motorbike to Galway to attend college as inadequate public transport connections means there is no evening link to Ballyhaunis after his classes.

Florian Oniceanu sets out on his motorcycle early for morning classes at the Galway campus of the Atlantic Technical University where he studies agricultural engineering.

“I usually arrive on time in Galway, but when there was snow and the roads were icy, I used to arrive about 30 minutes later. The problem is with the return journey, because if I finish classes after 5pm, I miss the four o’clock bus, and I have to take the 6:10 bus to Kilkelly to get back, and someone - my sister or brother-in-law - has to come pick me up to take me home.

“It’s not very comfortable to ride the motorcycle every day, considering that I have to change into gear before leaving, and when I arrive I have to take it off again. I’ve had some minor difficulties, but nothing major.

“In terms of safety, a motorcycle isn’t the best choice for this, but if you’re careful and respectful in traffic, it’s not bad. The time it takes to get to university by bus or by motorcycle is about the same - the motorcycle is around five or 10 minutes faster.”

Florian said he’d like to see a later bus service connecting with Ballyhaunis after 5pm, “so I wouldn’t have to leave classes before they end”.

The threadbare nature of bus services linking Ballyhaunis to Galway has been underlined as the housing crisis forces more third-level students to commute to the city.

An hourly bus linking Ballyhaunis with Galway, Sligo and Knock Airport was proposed in the five-year Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility plan published by the National Transport Authority (NTA) in 2021.

The plan was pushed by the Department of Transport which under then Minister Eamon Ryan made increased bus coverage for rural areas a priority. Bus connections between Ballyhaunis and third-level institutions in Galway was cited as a key concern by various Ballyhaunis parents who spoke to the Western People about their priorities in the run-up to last year’s general election.