Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

As I am sure the Deputy will be aware, the National Transport Authority's Local Link rural transport programme is managed and administered in Cork by the Local Link offices in Bantry and Fermoy.

I am pleased to confirm that I have secured Exchequer funding under budget 2025 for the roll-out of even more new and enhanced bus services throughout rural Ireland next year. This includes funding for Connecting Ireland, and new town services. In Cork, the NTA has advised that it plans to implement new and enhanced bus services along nine corridors in the Cork area next year, including services in Youghal, Mallow and Fermoy.

As the Deputy will be aware, Local Link services allow passengers to travel from their local village or town to access a wide range of public and social services, training courses, colleges, healthcare, business or to connect with the national bus and train network.

Funding for TFI Local Link services has increased significantly in recent years, from €12 million in 2016 up to €57 million this year.

This targeted investment has resulted in substantial increases in services and in passenger numbers, from 1.76 million passengers in 2015 to 4.7 million passengers last year. With overall passenger numbers up to late September 2024 showing a year-on-year growth rate of 52% compared to last year, it speaks to the success of the services nationally. Passenger numbers in Cork for the year to date are 160,178, which already exceeds the total number of 154,000 carried in the county to the same time last year.

In recent years there has been considerable investment in regular rural service routes in Cork, including the enhanced route 523, which now has five daily return services from Monday to Saturday, and four daily return services on Sunday, between Mitchelstown and Mallow.

This year marks the third year of the delivery of Connecting Ireland and the returns on this investment are evident across the country. Throughout rural Ireland people now have access to public transport services that simply did not exist just a few years ago and are using those services to great effect.

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