Sinn Féin seeking overall improvements to Cork bus services

Cork Sinn Féin TDs and councillors have welcomed the return to 15 minute frequency for the 220 bus route, but have called for more improvements to the overall bus service in the city.

Councillor for the South West ward, Joe Lynch, welcomed confirmation by Bus Éireann that additional vehicles and additional driver resources have been allocated to the 220 “in order to provide enhanced reliability on the key route.

“I sincerely hope this has a positive impact on the level of service being experienced by passengers, for those in Ballincollig and for others who rely on the route. 

"The reality is that the level of service on the 220 route over the past number of years has been sub-par at best, and this needs to change,” said Mr Lynch.

“I remain committed to keeping Bus Éireann on their toes to deliver the best possible service, and to working with them to deliver improvements,” he added.

Commuter areas

Sinn Féin TD for Cork South Central, Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, said: “Carrigaline, Ballincollig and Douglas are commuter areas, and the timetable reflects the fact that thousands of people every day travel to the city and beyond for work. The last thing we want to see is commuters giving up on bus services.

“We hope that a return to the timetable won’t just be on paper, but in reality. We have heard too many stories of people waiting at stops for 45 minutes or over an hour for a bus” said Mr Ó Laoghaire.

“I note that the review of the 214 is ongoing. Unfortunately this is frequently one of the worst performing routes in the city, much to the frustration of residents in Togher, Wilton, the Lough, and Greenmount.

“It appears Bus Éireann and the NTA is open to consider the proposal outlined by Sinn Féin to separate out the two parts of the 214. However we await a formal proposal from the NTA & Bus Éireann,” he added.

Sinn Féin TD for Cork North Central, Thomas Gould, said the return to a more frequent service on the 220 “cannot mean return to chaos”.

“The timetable change is something we have long called for – the previous timetable was undeliverable and we now need to review this. While we understand that some traffic is unpredictable, it is not credible to timetable buses at peak times expecting no traffic delays.”

He also called for the delivery of a new timetable for the 214 route, as well as fixes for the 202, 203, 205, 207 and 208 routes.