A commuter group which stopped using Iarnrod Eireann earlier this year and set up its own private bus service, yesterday called on the Offaly GAA county board not to use the train service for the All-Ireland final.
Mr Ger Hayden, speaking on behalf of the group, said the dispute had had no impact on its daily commute from Tullamore to Dublin and back.
"In fact, it has increased demand for the service . . . which gets us to work on time and leaves us at home half an hour earlier than the train would," he said.
Mr Hayden, who set up the bus service with fellow Tullamore-to-Dublin commuters when they were told they could not use mainline trains, said they operate two coaches out of the town every morning.
"The demand has risen to the point where we will be supplementing the 6.25 a.m. and the 6.50 a.m. services with a bus at 7.15 a.m. in September," he said.
"We have put a faster, cheaper alternative in place, which I reckon will save me £1,000 this year in travel costs. We have done this without the aid of taxpayers money and we are now calling on the county board of the GAA to use a local carrier . . . to bring the hurling team home from Croke Park in September," he said.
Mr Hayden said the Tullamore/Clara commuter group was forced into taking action because of overcrowding on trains, lack of punctuality and the quality of the rolling stock.