Cork transport: Cost of bus fares to be reduced from Monday

Bus fares on all subsidised public transport services in Cork provided by Bus Éireann and Local Link are to be cut by an average of 20 per cent from Monday.

The plan to cut public transport fares was announced by Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan in February and was among the measures included in the Government’s package to reduce the cost of living.

The fare reductions will benefit Bus Éireann customers on city services in Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford, as well as town services in Athlone, Balbriggan, Drogheda, Dundalk, Navan and Sligo.

Fares on Bus Éireann’s inter-urban and commuter services will also fall, although fares on the company’s commercial Expressway services are not included.

Passengers on TFI Local Link rural services operated by the 15 transport coordination units around the country will also see their fares drop by 20 per cent.

While all fares are being reduced by about 20 per cent, customers are advised that they can make further savings by switching to Leap.

Bus Éireann customers using a Student Leap Card will see an additional reduction of 50 per cent on their fares from Monday.

Speaking about the initiative to reduce fares Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan said the Government wants to “make it easier for people to be able to choose public transport throughout the country”.

“I am delighted that this saving of 20 per cent off public transport costs is now being implemented for commuters across regional cities and towns particularly.” 

“People are coming under more and more pressure as the price of essentials continues to increase.

“As one element of a suite of measures being introduced by the Government, this fare reduction will go some way to easing some of the financial strain that households are experiencing,” he said.

“Choosing public transport over the private car, even for one trip a week, can begin to help us reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

“It will also help improve the air quality and cut down on congestion in our cities and towns throughout the country,” the Minister continued.

Anne Graham, CEO of the National Transport Authority (NTA) said she believes the reduced fares will see an increased amount of people opting to use public transport.

“We’re appreciative of the support that the Government has given us, that has enabled us to make public transport even more affordable.

“I am confident that as a result, we will see the number of passenger journeys on these services increase in the months ahead,” she said.

Stephen Kent, CEO of Bus Éireann also welcomed the roll-out of the initiative.

“At Bus Éireann, we are excited to be offering our customers a 20 per cent cut in our city, town and regional fares.

“This brings city fares back to 2007 levels,” he said.

Iarnród Éireann’s online fares are also reducing by an average of 20 per cent from Monday with customers availing of the company’s intercity fares to benefit from further savings.

A reduction in public transport fares will be introduced in the Dublin area and on all other subsidized public transport services across the country next month.