Daily return transport from Sligo to LYIT

Hi there,

I have applied to LYIT for this September, I'm really hoping that I will get an offer for the course I want.

However, I live in Sligo and moving to Letterkenny is not an option. I'm a mature student.

Apart from Bus Eireann, does anyone know of any other public transport service that run a daily return service, like any private bus companies etc.

I was in touch with Bus Eireann and even though they do run a daily service and drop you practically to the door, the times aren't great.

I've been speaking to the course coordinator and was I told that the lectures have 3 X 9:30am starts, 1 X 10:30am and 1 X afternoon start at present but this is subject to change.

The Bus Eireann route doesn't arrive until 9:32am which is extremely tight if there was any adverse weather, incidents, roadworks etc. I was also told that the finishing time for lectures is between 4:30 and 5pm. However the return times with BE are 4:10pm or 7:10pm which means that I really won't get back to Sligo until 9:30pm.

I want to give this my best shot as I've never been to college and I am worried that with those travelling times, I won't have sufficient time to study. I'm also concerned that 4+ hours a day on a bus on top of a full time course might be too much as I have other commitments in my home life.

I have a full licence but don't own a car.

I'm just looking for advice on either an alternative public transport option to BE or whether I should look at buying a car. The weekly student pass with BE on that route is €73 and the driving time is 1:30 versus 2 hours 05 mins on the bus.

I thank everyone in advance for any guidance you can give me but please don't leave any smart comments re: students are meant to rough it etc. I have a lot going on in my life at the moment and I am really trying to better it for myself. I will be a lot older than the majority on this course and it will all be very new to me so I'd really appreciate that any replies are just helpful ones. Thank you.