Millions spent on BusConnects Cork ‘to no benefit’, says TD 

Nearly €85m has been spent on BusConnects Cork since 2021, despite key elements of the project remaining years behind schedule and a local TD claiming there is little to show for it.

Some €48.4m of the expenditure by the  National Transport Authority (NTA) was allocated to the 11 sustainable transport corridors (STCs) that will form the backbone of the new bus lane network.

However, planning applications for some of the corridors are not expected to be lodged until the final quarter of this year, almost two years later than initially planned.

A further €23m has been spent on bus depot projects, including €15.3m on a temporary depot at Tivoli. It opened last week more than a year behind schedule.

The spending also includes €3.6m to buy a site at Kinsale Rd for a permanent depot and almost €4m on planning-and-development work at Tivoli, Capwell, and Little Island.

Planning applications due

Planning applications for Kinsale Rd and Little Island permanent depots are due this year and next year, respectively.

Other costs incurred by the NTA since 2021 include €6.6m for the delivery of bus stops, shelters, and terminus infrastructure, €5.6m for the planning and design of the new network, and €2.8m for “programme management, governance oversight, and external technical support”.

A new bus network was due to be rolled out in 2023. However, just one new route, the 31, linking Knockraha with Cork city centre, has been introduced, while no funding has been allocated for additional routes in 2026.

A total of €11.5m has been spent in the first six months of 2026, compared with €30.7m for all of 2025, and €27.8m for 2024.

Sinn Féin TD for Cork North Central Thomas Gould said: “These eyewatering figures are insulting to Cork’s commuters, who still cannot depend on our bus service. How has €11m been spent in the last eight months with no measurable benefit?”