Cork to get new cross-city routeas Bus Éireann announce expansion of services
Bus Éireann bus on St Patrick's Bridge, Cork.
Bus Éireann has today announced a significant enhancement of its services across Ireland.
This will see more services across Cork, Limerick and Clare as well as an upgraded bus route for Navan.
The plan is being funded by the Government's July stimulus package.
Bus Éireann says it will need to recruit 120 new bus drivers under the plan, with half requiring external recruitment in the areas of Cork, Limerick, Ballina, Drogheda, and Dundalk.
A new cross-city service is to be introduced in Cork, linking Glanmire with Cork University Hospital, via the city centre.
The frequency of services will also be increased on the Glanmire to city centre route to three an hour.
Additional busses will also be introduced on evening and weekend services on the 202 and 208 routes.
In Tipperary, Portroe a daily bus service to Limerick and Nenagh will be introduced for the first time.
Weekend services are to begin on the Scariff-Limerick routes, and an increased frequency of services are being introduced in west Clare, while the towns of Kilkee, Doonbeg and Lahinch as due to be directly linked.
Ireland's fifth largest town, Navan, will receive an enhanced full town service from December 20, increasing from the current one bus a day provision (Monday to Friday) to two routes running every half hour, seven days a week.
In Limerick city, the frequency of route 303 will double to every 15 minutes, and more services will be offered in the evenings and weekend.
The route will also be extended to include Georgian Village.
Service enhancements on the West Clare Network which connect to rail at Ennis will enable passengers to travel between west Clare and Dublin in a single day for the first time using public transport.
In the Greater Dublin Area, all major commuter timetables have been revised to improve punctuality and reliability.
The frequency of Drogheda town services will increase with the addition of two new routings, operating a combined fifteen-minute frequency, seven days a week from December 20.
Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan said: “These new and improved services will mean that public transport will be a viable option for more people outside Dublin than ever before.
"By providing more choice and frequency we will connect more communities and encourage the switch from cars, while also reducing traffic, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.”
Recruitment for some positions is ongoing and in the last months, women recruits have accounted for 15% of new drivers hired.
Stephen Kent, CEO, Bus Éireann said: “To be recruiting drivers nine months into a pandemic is very positive and we are delighted to see that more women are starting to see it as a career for them as well.
"With the support of funding from the NTA and Government, this investment and additional services will help us to provide reliable and safe public transport services for more people around the country."
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