New bus route connects Little Island to northside

The economic hub of Little Island which welcomes 18,000 people daily for either work or visiting the 1,000 companies based there, is getting its first bus service.

Starting on Wednesday Cork Connect, a private bus service, will operate Route 210 which will transport members of the public between Cork’s northside, the city centre and Little Island, with 17 pick-up points along the route.

Cork Connect is an Irish-owned and operated company, and follows in the footsteps of their successful, and still immensely popular, Cobh Connect.

The team at Cork Connect hope that they can close the isolation gap for people living and working in these areas, as they did for the people of Cobh.

Initially starting with a fleet of four buses and six drivers, Cork Connect will provide low-cost travel six days a week, Monday to Saturday.

These modern 57-seater coaches are equipped with Wi-Fi, charging points and air-conditioning as standard, and will be offering 32 services a day, with the first week-day bus of the day leaving the Apple Campus in Hollyhill at 6.15am.

From 6.15am to 9.15am buses will run every 30 minutes and after that they will revert to hourly services. From 3.45pm to 6.45pm they will again have a 30-minute frequency, with the last bus of the evening being at 7.45pm.

In addition to Little Island and Hollyhill stops, Route 210 will also stop at Cathedral Road, Camden Place, Kent Train Station, and Tivoli.

To celebrate the launch of Cork Connect, for the month of July this route will be free for all passengers. From August on, once fares resume, an adult travelling the entire route can do so for as little as €4 one way or €6 return.

For shorter journeys, depending on pick-up location and destination, the fare will be even less. There are also discounted student and 10 journey fares available, in addition to Cork Connect accepting Leap cards, free travel passes and children under three are free.