Almost 100 Bus Éireann services are set to be cut under sweeping changes to the company's routes next month.

Fifteen towns and villages will be left without a direct link to the capital in a move the service is blaming on low passenger numbers.

Bus Éireann says that if rural routes are to be protected the Government needs to provide more subsidies.

In an interview with the Irish Independent, chief executive Martin Nolan said Bus Éireann is losing thousands of euro everyday on routes with low passenger numbers.

The company is now making major changes, with 15 towns to be left without a direct link to Dublin from the end of next month.

The services affected will be on Route 7 to Cork via Kilkenny and Route 5 to Waterford via Wexford.

A third route - from Athlone to Westport - is also under threat.

Between all three routes - some 198 services a day are provided. That will fall to 105 if the cuts go ahead.

The company says that if the Government wants rural services to be saved it will need to provide a subsidy.

Bus Éireann Statement

Bus Éireann can confirm that a number of services on our commercial Expressway network are under review. These services are self-funded and not related to the services we operate under our Public Service Obligation (PSO) contract, for the State.

Some of the routes on our Expressway network are incurring significant losses and are unsustainable in an increasingly competitive environment, for the business. Plans are underway to reschedule the number of stops serviced on the route 7 (Dublin to Cork), and also route 5 (Dublin – New Ross – Waterford). We are in discussions with the National Transport Authority (NTA) – who license the services – to assess the service requirement in the locations affected. These discussions are ongoing.