Bus Eireann Expressway: Three regional routes withdrawn as losses bite
bus eireann expressway is being reduced after Bus Éireann announced it will withdraw three Expressway services from Sunday, 24 May (ET). The move ends the Ballina–Galway Route 52 service and two other intercity links, citing continuous significant losses on those routes. Bus Éireann said the Expressway network is commercial and receives no State subvention, and that the changes aim to consolidate services while protecting the wider network.
Bus Eireann Expressway routes affected
Bus Éireann confirmed that Route 52 between Ballina and Galway will cease from Sunday, 24 May (ET). Route 52 serves stops at Foxford, Straide, Ballyvary, Castlebar, Breaffy, Balla, Claremorris, Ballindine, Milltown, Tuam and Claregalway. Two further Expressway routes—the Waterford to Dublin Airport service (Route 4) and the Rosslare to Waterford service (Route 40)—will also be withdrawn as part of the same measures.
The company described the withdrawals as a response to persistent losses on those services, saying the losses were “clearly unsustainable for a commercial operation. ” Bus Éireann emphasised that Expressway is operated commercially and receives no State subvention, placing the financial responsibility for those routes on the operator.
Immediate reactions and operational detail
Bus Éireann said the decision is “disappointing” but framed it as a consolidation intended to safeguard the remaining Expressway network. The operator added that, given the scale of its operations and current recruitment needs, there will be no impact on jobs from these measures. Any customer with a prebooked journey on the impacted services will be contacted and provided with a full refund,.
Bus Éireann notified the National Transport Authority of the move. Preliminary figures from the National Transport Authority show Bus Éireann carried 53. 6 million passengers in 2025, underscoring the scale of the operator’s wider network even as a small number of Expressway routes are withdrawn.
The decision to withdraw services directly affects passengers who rely on the bus eireann expressway links listed above; those travellers are to receive direct contact and refunds from the operator. Bus Éireann stated that consolidating the bus eireann expressway network is intended to preserve the majority of services while removing commercially unsustainable routes.
What happens next
Customers with bookings on the withdrawn services should expect direct contact from Bus Éireann and a full refund; the operator has said it will reach out to affected passengers. The National Transport Authority has been notified and may be involved in assessing the longer-term configuration of intercity and regional services. Observers will watch whether the consolidation stabilises operations and prevents further withdrawals from the Expressway network.
For now, the immediate focus is on passenger refunds and on managing the operational changes to the bus eireann expressway timetable and network experience in the weeks after the withdrawals take effect.
