People ‘sick and tired’; 150 complaints a month about Cork city bus services

More than 150 complaints a month have been made about Cork city buses to the National Transport Authority (NTA) since October, with the 220 the most complained-about route, new figures show.

Data on the 201, 202, 203, 205, 206, 207, 213, 214, 215, 220, and 225 provided to The Echo via the Freedom of Information Act showed just over 1,353 complaints were made from the start of October 2024 to the end of May 2025.

The majority of the complaints were about timekeeping, cancellations, or a bus not coming to a stop, and referred to a specific bus route, though some comments were on general issues such as problems with the app.

The most complained-about bus was the 220, with 248 complaints in the nine-month period.

The 220 bus, from Ballincollig to Carrigaline, operated at a reduced frequency from October last year to April this year, seeing a reduction of 32 buses a day between Monday and Friday and 14 on Saturdays — a total of 174 buses weekly.

It was one of five routes which saw reductions implemented due to driver recruitment challenges, but services returned to normal on the other four in February.

The complaints about the 220 were closely followed by another high-frequency service, the 208, which attracted 228 complaints.

There were also:

• 168 complaints about the 214;
• 126 about the 215;
• 123 in relation to the 203;
• 110 regarding either the 202 or 202A;
• 96 about the 207 or 207A;
• 61 complaints received about the 205;
• 53 about the 225;
• 48 regarding the 206;
• 33 about the 201
• 27 in relation to the 213.

Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould said that people “are sick and tired of a bus service that is unreliable and sometimes unsafe”.

He told The Echo: “The volume of complaints highlights just how frustrated people are with the bus service. While drivers are trying their best, the reality is that they’re being asked to work in impossible conditions. They are being asked to deliver impossible bus timetables.

“Often by the time they arrive to a bus stop, the person waiting has seen ghost buses and delays. Passengers are running late, and drivers are under pressure. This is not a good situation for anyone involved.”

“We know that we see the same bus routes with problems over and over again. For many people, they are so sick of sending in complaints that they’re now just saving up to buy cars. The solution to reduce the number of complaints is to reduce the failings of the bus service.”

The Echo contacted Bus Éireann for comment.