Minister Ryan says efforts under way to improve Cork bus service

TRANSPORT Minister Eamon Ryan has said he is aware of ongoing public transport service issues in Cork city and that efforts are under way to improve the reliability of bus services.

Mr Ryan made the comments in response to a parliamentary question recently submitted by Fine Gael TD for Cork North Central, Colm Burke, who asked what action the Department of Transport is taking to improve the bus service in the city.

Issues

“I am aware of the ongoing public transport service issues in Cork city, and the negative impact that they are having on the travelling public,” said Mr Ryan.

“Further, the National Transport Authority [NTA] have advised that they are specifically aware of the punctuality and reliability issues in Cork city and that they are working closely with Bus Éireann to address these.”

Mr Ryan said he has also been advised by the NTA that there are “a number of routes in Cork city that are being prioritised for planned service improvements in 2024”.

“To this end, Bus Éireann are working with the NTA to examine what steps can be taken in 2024 to improve service provision in the city, and counter issues such as traffic congestion,” he said.

The MacCurtain Street Public Transport Improvement Scheme, the minister said, “has already brought improvements to the network”.

Still work to be done 

However, he acknowledged that there is “still work to be done in Cork city to build on these incremental changes”.

“In particular, service reliability and punctuality enhancements for routes 220, 225, and 226 need to be addressed, and these routes in particular are being reviewed by the NTA and Bus Éireann with a view towards additional timetable refreshes.

“Further, recruitment drives for drivers are under way in Cork to address shortages, which will also improve service provision.

“Further, the planned Cork Network Redesign will involve the creation of new bus routes and improved bus frequencies to help transform the public transport network to meet anticipated growth and future demand in the region.

“It is currently anticipated that the Cork Network Redesign will commence implementation from 2025, subject to funding and resource availability.”

The minister said reliability issues highlight the “fundamental importance of ensuring bus priority measures, such as those proposed as part of BusConnects Sustainable Transport Corridors”.