Located less than 25km from Galway city in the heart of Connemara, Inverin is in many respects a perfect place for University of Galway students to call home. Enveloped by a varied, scenic landscape and one of the few remaining communities where Irish is spoken fluently, there is little counting against it.
As someone in the fortunate position of possessing a full licence and car, travelling to campus never presented any issues. Until my car ended up at the mechanic, meaning I had to make use of the 424 Bus Éireann service to commute.
I heard from classmates and friends living around my area that public transport options were lacking. And relying upon it daily (albeit temporarily,) I quickly understood where such criticism stemmed from. But perhaps my perspective, as a motorist, was warped?
A campaign by Inverin locals to arrange a shuttle bus exclusively for students to the university was summarily halted in 2022 owing to regulations surrounding private bus services that could impact Bus Éireann routes.
However, the university claims that the current 424 service running through Inverin (the only public transport option) is sufficient for students. But, is this true?
We spoke with three University of Galway students to gauge if bus services from Inverin to the city adequately serve those of us who rely on them, or if commuting via public transport is an additional daily frustration students face.
Finnian Cox is a second-year Journalism student. “I take the bus to campus every day, it’s really the only way I can make the fifty-minute commute,” he said.
Finnian thinks relying on the 424 to travel to the university is feasible as a student, but acknowledges that University of Galway students are not exclusively dependent on the service.
“They recently added a few more (buses,) but changed the whole timetable,” he said. “I still see overcrowding on buses and people from Furbo getting turned away,” added Finnian.
Katie Hannon, also a second-year journalism student living just outside Spiddal, reckons the Bus Éireann service could be improved.
“I don’t feel that the service is adequate,” said Katie. “The timetable is somewhat irregular, and I’ve been
late to early classes more than once because of buses running late,” she explained.
Following a recent injury, Katie relies on lifts from her parents to campus in the mornings. However, for students who don’t live at home or have access to a car, the only alternative form of transport is a taxi. And as this costs from €48 upwards each way, it is beyond the financial means of most students.
Duduzile (or ‘Dudu’) Ndlovu is a first-year PhD candidate at the university. As a postgraduate student, she does not face the same challenges as undergraduate students like Katie and Finnian. So, Dudu has arranged her work week around the 424’s limitations.
“As a PhD student who only needs to attend twice a week, ‘adequate’ is about right,” said Dudu. “I’ve planned my schedule around working from home unless I need to attend meetings because of how limited, and sometimes unreliable, the service is,” she added.
“I’d definitely attend campus more often if the service was more frequent. I never want to be stranded in town when I live so far out (Inverin.) If I miss the bus, it can mean a two-hour wait depending on the time of day,” she explained.
Dudu, Katie and Finnian spoke about similar issues with the 424 route provided by Bus Éireann. An unreliable and inconsistent service are common sentiments, all of which were issues I experienced firsthand.
Although the problems with the 424 route are apparent, the remedy is equally clear. “More buses being made available more frequently,” said Dudu, adding, “And possibly a service for students specifically.”
Reevaluating the possibility of a dedicated service exclusively for university students would also address the overcrowding problem Finnian mentioned, Katie thinks, alongside a more regular timetable (like Finnian and Dudu suggested,) one alteration could make a huge difference.
“They should try and reduce delays. Sometimes, buses run ten or fifteen minutes behind time which is frustrating,” she said.
Finnian repeated his view that extra services are needed. “There should definitely be more routes passing the university. Demand exists, so it makes a lot of sense,” he said.
According to University of Galway students who must use public transport to commute from Inverin, the options at their disposal are not quite adequate. Given the present accommodation crisis, as students are encouraged to widen the scope of their accommodation searches beyond city confines, the 424 could well be placed under further strain.
University students should be encouraged to broaden their horizons outside of class, and Inverin, with its rich culture of native Irish speakers and beautiful backdrop, is an ideal location to do so while remaining within a reasonable distance of the city. But its Achilles heel is a lack of reliable public transport.
Students who chose to move here say that without a dedicated bus service to the university, a more punctual and consistent 424 service would work wonders.
Then, just maybe, motorists like me would be encouraged to leave the car at home and soak up the seaside vistas on our daily commute once more.