Rural households hit by lack of public transport

OVER half of all households in rural Ireland have difficulty in accessing public transport and significant problems also in accessing banks, post offices and groceries.

According to the latest survey on income and living conditions issued by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) for 2007, just over half of all households in rural areas reported difficulty in accessing public transport, compared with just 11% in urban regions.

One-third of rural households expressed difficulty in accessing banking services and doctors, compared with 15% and 11% respectively of their urban counterparts.