Three new bus services confirmed for Carlow

Carlow is to get three new bus services as part of the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan, it has been confirmed.

The Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan joined the National Transport Authority in Tullamore, Co. Offaly today to launch what has been described as one of the most ambitious plans yet for rural transport, providing 67 new or enhanced bus services - including three routes proposed for Carlow-Kilkenny.

The new bus routes will provide greater transport links between Carlow and Kilkenny, Castlecomer and Athy.

Green Party TD for Carlow Kilkenny, Minister Malcolm Noonan, has today warmly welcomed the announcement, saying the strategy will strengthen existing services and connect more towns and townlands across the state.

"The Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan for 2023 builds significantly on what has already been delivered in terms of providing public transport links across rural Ireland. We’ve seen locally, and the figures back this up, that the response from customers to new services that have come on stream has been really strong, because people do desperately want options and alternatives to using the car for every journey.

"The new routes being delivered for Carlow Kilkenny will make an enormous difference to people, and I’m particularly happy to see enhanced connectivity between Kilkenny, Castlecomer, Carlow and Athy. This is an important route, particularly with the connection to the South East Technological University and local employment services.

"We know the demand for these services is there, because the increase in services, the increase in frequency, and the 25% reduction in public transport fares mean we had significantly more people using Local Link services last year than we did in 2019, pre-Covid. We need to continue to make public transport a reliable, convenient and affordable option for as many people as possible.

"The provision of a strong, reliable rural transport network across rural Ireland is one of the Green Party’s key priorities in government, and the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan is already playing a key role in providing connectivity, sustainability, and most importantly of all mobility, independence and choice for people can’t or don’t want to own a car. It’s particularly important that we make this a viable transport option for young people, who enjoy a further 50% off public transport fares with the Young Adult LEAP card introduced by the Green Party in last year.

"The more people choose public transport the better it is for our environment as well.  Public transport, both rural and urban, has a critical role to play in Ireland meeting its emissions targets. It’s a good day for public transport, and a really positive development for Carlow Kilkenny, and for all our regional towns and cities," Minister Noonan said.