Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is very hard to measure the demand for a service that was never in place. To take the example of a highly populated route such as the Galway to Carraroe route, which is the most densely populated rural area in Ireland, it is hard to believe that nobody would want to take a bus out of from Galway after 6 p.m. when there are many students, civil servants, hospital workers and factory workers who do not want to leave town on that last bus leaving Galway at 6 p.m. From my experience of providing boat services to islands, which involved a much bigger demographic challenge, I believe that if one provides good services, one will get many customers but if one provides bad services, one will get few customers. Why would people tie themselves to leaving town at 6 p.m.? Will Mr. Hernan give me a "Yes" or "No" answer to the following question? Has Bus Éireann made a strong case to the NTA for services on those radial routes from towns in which there are third level institutions to be extended until 11 p.m.?