Cork city's 220 bus service to resume 15-minute frequency

The 220 bus from Ballincollig to Carrigaline is to return to 15-minute frequency from this Sunday with a new timetable.

Following the introduction of reduced frequency timetables on five routes in October 2024 due to driver recruitment challenges, services returned to normal on four of them in February, but the 220 remained operating with reduced frequency.

The 24-hour route saw a reduction of 32 buses a day between Monday and Friday and 14 on Saturdays — a total of 174 buses weekly, as it went from running every 15 minutes to every 20 minutes under changes intended to improve reliability and punctuality.

The Echo revealed earlier this year that FOI data showed the city bus reliability had gotten worse during the time the reductions were in place, with the 220 among the most likely buses not to show up at all.

Senior management of the bus company, including its CEO Stephen Kent, met with Cork City Council’s transport and mobility strategic policy committee earlier this week, and told elected members that the bus was to return to 15-minute frequencies next week.

Bus Éireann told :

“The frequency of Route 220 will revert to every 15 minutes from 20 minutes. Routing will remain the same, with every second service operating to Carrigaline Primary Care/Camden. Sunday services have been adjusted to reflect the Monday-to-Friday routing.

“Additionally, Route 220 has been punctually reviewed to ensure that the segment running times better reflect the latest traffic conditions on the route”, they said, thanking customers “for their continued patience and understanding”. Labour councillor and chair of the transport SPC, Peter Horgan, told The Echo that he was concerned that traffic would still lead to long waits for buses: “It’s welcome that the 220 is back to the 15-minute frequency, but the issue of congestion on this marquee route will still be an issue for commuters.

He added: “I continue push for the reconfigurations of lights to allow bus priority in congested points on the 220 route. Improving punctuality and easing the congested areas will serve as a confidence booster for current Cork public transport users and potential users that we must attract.”