Students from Tipperary spending hours on buses because of accommodation crisis

A motion was tabled at the recent  monthly Tipperary/Cahir/Cashel Municipal District meeting that the Municipal writes to the Minister of Transport calling on his department to engage with Bus Eireann, the NTA and any other necessary stakeholders to examine the possibility of returning the Dublin Airport stop to the 245X service (formerly X8). 

This bus covers the Dublin to Cork route and serves Cashel and Cahir bus users. 

“You will remember back in 2020 when we wouldn’t accept the decision to axe the X8 service, and thankfully that public service obligation was upheld and a new route - this 245X - was established and funded, but unfortunately the Dublin Airport stop hasn’t been included in it,” said Councillor Declan Burgess who raised the motion. 

The people of Cashel want the bus that goes to the airport back he said.

The councillor also spoke of the importance of Cashel as a tourist town and a heritage hub. 

C

ouncillor Máirín McGrath supported the motion and said that removing the bus to the airport was “senseless”.

She added that the frequency and the timetable has reduced greatly as well.

She said the service should be brought back as removing it was “foolish and it should be reversed”.

Councillor Roger Kennedy also supported the motion.

Councillor Andy Moloney wasn’t hopeful though of getting it solved. He said that there is a review of all timetables in 2024 and that is “the answer that they will get back”.

He highlighted the dilemma of college students in Cahir: “Going to college in Waterford, kids are collected at 7am in the morning to go to college because of the accommodation crisis in Waterford. In the evening they are collected then at College and dropped to the city centre where they have to wait there until 5.40pm.

“That bus goes to Carrick-On-Suir, turns around and goes back to Waterford and then it brings them to Cahir,” he said.

He said there was no accommodation in Waterford and bus services weren’t functional.

He called for a broader discussion on bus services in the region.