Passenger numbers are up 60% on the Ballincollig-Carrigaline 220 bus route since it began running a 24-hour service in January.
A spokesperson for Bus Éireann confirmed the increase this week, following the introduction of the enhanced route three months ago.
From January of this year, the 220 service was significantly upgraded with buses operating every 15 minutes at peak periods and continuing to run during the night, to provide a 24-hour service. The changes followed a long campaign for improvements to bus services in the region. Another twenty double-decker buses are to be put in service in Cork during the second half of 2019, but which routes they will serve has not yet been made public.
A Bus Éireann spokesperson said the next step with regards to Cork was to review other routes in the Carrigaline area as well as in Douglas, including the vehicles being used on the routes. Many local politiicans have expressed frustration that Passage West, Monkstown and Ringaksiddy have not yet been linked by a bus service directly to Carrigaline.
It is expected that in the coming months, the National Transport Authority (NTA), which has overall responsibility for bus routes, will confirm a Bus Connects plan for Cork that will radically enhance service in Cork with new bus lanes, priority zones and services for Cork.
Separately the NTA said Bus Éireann city services, including in Cork, saw major growth in passenger numbers in 2018.
The company provided 35.1m passenger journeys in 2018 compared to 31.1m in 2017 and 32.1m in 2016.
Numbers on Bus Éireann’s city services in Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford did particularly well, increasing by 13.2% overall.
19 million more passengers used public transport in 2018 and 269 million passenger journeys were provided across Ireland.
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