This article is from page 5 of the 2013-08-13 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 5 JPG
NORTH Clare commuters using the proposed Ballyvaughan Bay Hop ferry service to Galway could end up making massive savings on their weekly commuting bill.
The service, which will launch on a trail basis on September 2, will offer weekly commuter tickets to and from Galway for just over € 40. These tickets, which will be offered to commuters using a promotion code during the trail, match the regular commuter ticket cost under the Government’s tax saver commuter scheme, which could be accessed should the service be made permanent.
This would result in large savings for Burren commuters compared to the weekly petrol bill to and from Galway – while the service also offers to reduce the commute time by as much as two hours every day.
“We have had a handful of tickets sold already which is good considering we are three weeks before the trial starts. There is a lot of support from locals – both people who want to use the service themselves and people offering discounts to tourists coming over from Galway,” said or- ganiser, Gwen Ryan.
“A lot of local shops are offering discounts to people who show their tickets, for example Burren Bikes are offering a special rate for people who travel over on the boat and want to rent a bike for the day.
“I started this project in order to give myself and other commuters a reliable service from the Burren into Galway. Our weekly commuter ticket will cost € 80 but we have also launched an early bird ticket on the trial which will mimic the savings which would be made by commuters under the tax saver scheme if this was to become a full time service. That would roughly half the price of the weekly ticket.”
This Ballyvaughan Bay Hop trial will every day excluding Sunday from September 2 to 13 and an official launch will take place on August 25. Liam O’Brien, of O’Brien Line will operate the service on behalf of the community in a 12 passenger hard-cabin rib.
The Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark is supporting this Ballyvaughan Bay Hop trial service with financial assistance from the TransTourism Project.
Tickets are on sale from www.ballyvaughanbayhop.org