Cork councillors 'getting it in the ear' over unreliable Carrigaline bus service

Early morning bus services to and from Carrigaline have been described as “inconsistent and unreliable”, as local councillors were denied a meeting with the National Transport Authority (NTA) to discuss the persistent problems.

One woman contacted The Echo saying that, on two days in a row, the 220x Crosshaven to Cork MTU service at 7.11am did not run, with no prior notice.

The buses “are completely inconsistent and unreliable”, she said. “The [TFI Live] app does not provide reliable information, and has not done so since its inception, leaving customers standing for hours at bus stops in the hope something will come.”

Fianna Fáil councillor Audrey Buckley told The Echo the issue “has been going on for years”.

“We had to buy my daughter a car two years ago to go to MTU because we were just sick of it — she’d ring me on a rainy night saying two buses had passed her full and wouldn’t stop.”

“There’s also the bus not showing up in the morning – now she carpools with others in the local area because the bus is so unreliable. The bus isn’t even mentioned in my house as a form of transport.

“It’s just not good enough. It’s crazy that it’s not showing up at 7am when there’s no traffic. I’m done believing it’s traffic or lack of drivers,” she said, adding that the app was also not fit for purpose. 

"It will tell you the bus has arrived but you’re standing there and it isn’t, it’s a phantom bus.” 

These issues are the topic of frequent complaints councillors receive from their constituents, Ms Buckley said.

“We’re getting it in the ear, we’re taking it for the NTA, and then nothing is forthcoming from them.” 

Fine Gael’s Una McCarthy added: “It’s one of the most common complaints we get, the unreliability of the bus service is causing growing frustration amongst commuters in the Carrigaline municipal district. I get emails, calls, I get tagged in posts on community noticeboards and the NTA aren’t listening.

“The unreliability of the service disrupts daily routines; school, college, appointments. Buses frequently disappear from the app, late night services from the city fail to arrive leaving passengers stranded with no way to go home late at night. That leads to a great sense of insecurity, it prevents people from going out.” 

Ms McCarthy explained: “As a group of councillors we requested a meeting with the NTA and they declined the request, citing high volume of similar requests from other local authorities. That’s only adding to the frustration.” 

The Echo contacted the NTA and Bus Éireann for comment.