Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

We also need to look at short-term solutions. We have spoken about the long-term situation with accommodation but we need proper co-ordination and extra bus routes to help get students to ATU Sligo. I am pleased to say that a new Local Link service from Ballymote started this week but we need more. We need to look at extra services within a radius of 40 km to 50 km from Sligo. Time and again I have spoken about the need for extra services from Rosses Point, which is only 7.5 km from Sligo town, and yet people cannot get buses into the town. We have a situation where Local Link is precluded from putting on a bus on the same route and at the same time as Bus Éireann, yet the demand for bus places has escalated. We need to look at the demand rather than rigid rules about who runs the service. In the short-term, even that piece of co-ordination could work well.

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