‘Improvements to 220 bus routes can’t be delayed’

A LOCAL election candidate has said that a planned review of a Cork bus route cannot become an excuse to delay promised improvements to that route.

Transport Minister Eamon Ryan has confirmed that three of Cork’s bus routes — the 220, 225, and 226 — are to be reviewed by the National Transport Authority (NTA) and Bus Éireann due to concerns over the reliability and punctuality of services.

The three routes are undergoing reviews and are being prioritised for service improvements this year, Mr Ryan said in reply to a Dáil question from Fine Gael TD for Cork North-Central Colm Burke.

Reacting to the news, Sinn Féin’s local election candidate in Cork City South West, Joe Lynch, said the review of the 220 service could not be used as an excuse to delay improvements promised to that service earlier this year.

“It has been clear for some time that an increasing number of people are experiencing a poor level of service on the 220/220X bus route to Ballincollig,” he said.

“This has been well-flagged with the NTA and Bus Éireann, with Thomas Gould TD and I writing to them six months ago highlighting various concerns.

“There have been instances of buses disappearing from real-time boards, buses by-passing Ballincollig via the by-pass, shortages of buses in the mornings leaving people late for work, and long waits both in and out of town. These issues remain.”

Mr Lynch said the NTA had responded, promising that improvements would be made in 2024, but now a review of the service was in prospect.

“This can’t be used as an excuse to kick the can down the road. The improvements that were promised must be delivered without delay,” Mr Lynch said.

“As part of their review, the NTA and Bus Éireann could, however, usefully take seriously the lack of buses serving Greenfields Road and Castle Road in Ballincollig.

“These are areas that have seen big population growth in recent years, with more housing developments in Maglin being constructed, yet these areas get one or two 233 buses a day. It is unacceptable and we have to see improved levels of service there.”

He added that Sinn Féin had recently published a plan to improve bus services across the city.

“We believe there is a need for an increased allocation to Bus Éireann to hire 30 additional drivers in Cork, to reintroduce spare drivers in Capwell to allow for delays and traffic congestion, and to commit that no bus route in Cork city will be privatised.

“The NTA are free to take this plan and implement it.

“That would result in immediate improvements instead of waiting for this new review to be completed,” Mr Lynch said.