For this week’s blog I will be talking about what the public transportation was like in Galway and around Ireland. I found the bus to be the easiest and most efficient form of transportation in Galway. However, the bus did not start out as an easy form of transportation. I am from a small rural town in Pennsylvania and have never had to use public transportation by myself before so figuring out the bus system in Galway was a bit of a struggle. So, now that I understand the bus system I hope my tips can help anyone else who is traveling in Galway.
To start off, there are two main public bus companies that run locally in Galway and to surrounding towns, these companies are Bus Éireann and City Direct. I highly recommend using Bus Éireann because they offer many more routes than City Direct. Once you pick a bus company you should download the app “Real Time Ireland.” This app shows where each bus stop is located on a map, the times a bus will arrive at each stop to pick up, and all the stops located on each different bus route. This app is a great place to begin if you don’t have a clue where to go to get on the bus or where it will be taking you. Each bus route is identified by a different number beginning with 401. For NUIG students it is very common to take the 404 bus route. The 404 will pick up at the on-campus residences and take students directly into the city center. It also stops at Westside Shopping Center (a popular place for students to get groceries) and the Galway Cathedral. The bus stops are all marked on the road with a red “Bus Éireann” sign. These large signs make it hard to be standing at the wrong place to catch the bus. If you don’t have access to the Internet on your phone, there are bus timetables available on the Bus Éireann website that you can look at beforehand to know at which time your bus is coming. These timetables are also located at most bus stops. You can pay for the bus in two ways. One way being cash. If you are only visiting Galway for a short period of time then I recommend paying in cash. The bus fare is usually only 2 euro, maybe a little more depending on how far you’re going. Upon boarding the bus, the bus driver will tell you the cost of your ticket and you pay him or her before sitting down. The other way of paying for the bus is by purchasing a Leap card. Leap cards are purchased at the student union on the NUIG campus and cost 10 euro. Once you have your Leap card you can then load euros onto the card, so you don’t have to carry cash with you when boarding the bus. All you have to do is place your Leap card on the card reader near the bus driver’s station and s/he will deduct the proper amount from your card. The Leap card is tailored for students and allows you to get discounts at many local pharmacies and shops. The other way of getting around Galway is by taxi. Taxis are very common in Galway and it is not hard to find an open one when you need it. However, I would recommend taking the bus over a taxi when possible because taxis are much more expensive than the bus. To go to places outside of Galway, the bus is the most common form of transportation. There is a bus station located a block from Eyre Square and there you can catch a bus to almost any city or town in Ireland. Most bus companies allow individuals to book tickets online and at the door. P.S. – I apologize for my lack of pictures in this blog and most likely in upcoming blogs as well. Not living in Galway makes if difficult to find pictures that will best represent the content in my blog :(
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Author
Archives
April 2020
Categories |