'Affordable bus prices' coming to West Cork as private company provide alternative to Bus Éireann

It is the first time that a private operator in West Cork has been awarded a licence to operate head-to-head against the state-funded Bus Eireann

A private bus operator is set to drive down fares for West Cork commuters by up to 40%.

It follows confirmation that the National Transport Authority has awarded a route licence to Dave Long Coach Travel, a family business founded in 1969, to operate a new service, called West Cork Connect, from West Cork to Cork City seven days a week.

The company said it is the first time that a private operator in West Cork has been awarded a licence to operate head-to-head against the state-funded Bus Éireann.

“We are hoping to have this service up and running for the first week of December this year,” the company said.

We will be launching our new website in the next few weeks and this will have all the full timetable and prices on it.

The company has already indicated that a return adult ticket from Skibbereen to Cork cty on its 6.15am service will cost €19 compared to the €32 charged by Bus Éireann on the same route.

The company plans to launch a service from Bantry to Cork city in January 2020.

Its buses will drop passengers off on St Patrick’s Quay, right beside the Air Coach and City Link services to Dublin and Limerick, 15-minutes before those various services are due to depart to the capital.

“We are hoping that our service will be able to link West Cork to Dublin Airport and city centre with very little delay,” it said.

FG Senator Tim Lombard, who has been urging Bus Eireann for some time to reduce its fares to West Cork, said they just failed do enough.

“For example, the Bus Eireann return adult fare from Castletownbere was up to €39. That’s the most expensive bus price per kilometre in Ireland - by a country mile,” Mr Lombard said.

We got some movement from them on the Bandon and Kinsale routes. They extended the Leap card zones and people responded, but they forgot about the rest of West Cork.

He welcomed the arrival of competition and he praised Dave Long Coach Travel for providing affordable transport options to the region.

“It is great to see affordable bus prices finally being introduced in West Cork. I’m delighted to see that someone has taken the initiative and stepped into this space.

“As a member of the Oireachtas Climate Action Committee, I want to see increased use of public transport as a means through which we can achieve a cleaner, greener environment and meet our climate action targets.

“The introduction of affordable bus prices enables increased use of bus services and thus reduces our need to rely on individual vehicular transport.”

There are an estimated 6,500 living in Clonakilty, some 4,000 people living in Skibbereen, and up to 3,000 people living in Bantry.