The airport hopper bus services connecting Maynooth, Tallaght, and Dublin Airport paused operations as of 10 February due to financial issues and insufficient passenger numbers and it is unclear if it will resume.
There were two separate airport hopper services to Dublin Airport; one starting in Tallaght and stopping at Clondalkin and Liffey Valley, and a second route running from Maynooth and stopping at Leixlip, Lucan and Liffey Valley.
The operator, Airport Hopper Holdings Ltd, attempted to make the service viable by reducing fares, but rising operational costs forced a pause in operations.
Customers who had pre-booked their journeys will receive refunds, with the service struggling for viability due to insufficient passenger numbers and escalating costs.
The cancellation of Airport Hopper follows Aircoach’s previous discontinuation of services between Dublin and Galway, prompting calls for state intervention to ensure sustainable transport options are available.
bus company Dualway holds the licence for the airport hopper routes, but said it sold the licence to operate the Maynooth/Tallaght to Dublin Airport routes in 2021
The NTA said that when a commercial bus operator withdraws a route, the NTA may then establish whether the withdrawal creates a deficiency in connectivity.
A statement on the website shared: “We know how important this service has been to the people along the Maynooth and Tallaght routes and we are devastated that we cannot continue providing it to them. We have truly tried everything in our power to make the service viable – including cutting fares to increase numbers – in an environment of spiralling costs including fuel, tolls, insurance and airport charges. Unfortunately, we find ourselves at this point and had to pause operations from Monday, February 10. This has been purely down to the service being financially unsustainable for a long period of time with the passenger numbers on the routes not being sufficient to make the service viable.”
