Cork County Council seeks meeting over poor bus services

Cork County Council chief executive Moira Murrell will seek a meeting with senior representatives of Bus Éireann and the National Transport Authority (NTA) after a wave of complaints from councillors about inadequate public transport across the county.

The issue was raised by Fianna Fáil councillor Patrick Donovan, who highlighted that buses serving Crosshaven often fail to arrive and that poor services in Carrigaline contribute to congestion, which could be eased by adding more buses.

Fianna Fáil councillor Patrick Mulcahy said East Cork representatives have repeatedly raised concerns, noting that commuters on the 50 km Youghal‑Cork city route can face nearly two‑hour journeys during peak mornings and that Midleton students are left behind due to insufficient bus space. He added that calls for a dedicated town bus service for Midleton have yet to produce results.

Fine Gael councillor Michael Hegarty warned that some parts of East Cork have no public transport at all, while others are poorly served, and lamented that only four new Local Link routes have been established nationwide in the first six months of the year. Fine Gael councillor Liam Madden made a similar point about North Cork.

Social Democrats councillor Ann Bambury said unreliable services are frustrating West Cork commuters and questioned whether the NTA has ever penalised operators for poor punctuality. Fianna Fáil councillor Sheila O’Callaghan complained that Upper Glanmire has a bus stop but no service, despite assurances for 2025.

Fine Gael councillor Sinéad Sheppard warned that rapid housing growth is not being matched by transport investment, and Fianna Fáil councillor Ann Marie Ahern said she receives no replies to regular emails to the NTA. The mayor, Fianna Fáil councillor Bernard Moynihan, said there is unanimous cross‑party support for seeking the meeting, noting the NTA’s oversight of bus services.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: Timothy Huliselan / Pexels.