Cork Bus services should be returning to the frequency they had before October – when operators Bus Eireann had to significantly cut back on frequency on major routes because of difficulties including a severe shortage of drivers.
The public transport body has this lunchtime announced that a full resumption of full timetabled scheduled services for Routes 202/202A, 205 and 208 from Sunday 2nd February.
This means:
- Route 202/202A – Returns to every 20 mins from every 30mins
- Route 205 – Returns to every 15 mins from every 20 mins
- Route 208 – Returns to every 10 mins from every 15 mins
Bus Eireann says the 220 service is currently undergoing a timetable review which will address the punctuality and reliability issues on this key route and this route will remain operating as per the current timetable. It is anticipated a new 220 service timetable will be in place by late April 2025.
The company said: “We are delighted to share that in 2024 we carried 16.5 million passenger journeys across our Cork services, an increase of 364,000 on the previous year. In December alone, we recorded a 14% increase in passenger journeys compared to December 2023.”
As a result of ongoing intensive recruitment efforts, we have developed a strong pipeline joining our driver training school and are now at a point where we can resume full service on the 202/202A, 205 and 208 routes.
Traffic congestion still remains an operational challenge with just 2% our service kilometres delivered through bus lanes in Cork City.
Bus Éireann is committed to growing and improving public transport for the people of Cork and will continue to work with all stakeholders to secure additional bus prioritisation measures which are essential to support the delivery of reliable and punctual public transport services.
Bus Éireann is also working closely with the National Transport Authority (NTA) to facilitate the rollout of Bus Connects Cork.
Again, we would like to apologise to our customers for any inconvenience caused over the last number of months and we look forward to delivering further improved levels of service to our customers in Cork in 2025.