Temporary town bus service in Clonmel will begin next month

The temporary town bus service in Clonmel is expected to be operating by the beginning of March.

It had been anticipated that the temporary service would be running in January.

District Administrator Carol Creighton, in her report to a meeting of Clonmel Borough District, stated that following trial runs in December by the National Transport Authority (NTA), a number of junction/signage issues had been identified and work needed to be carried out on these.

She said that two very minute engineering issues had been identified.

The NTA were working constantly on these and they were anxious to get the service up and running.

District Mayor Pat English said he hoped the service would be ready for March.

Cllr Niall Dennehy said that people were complaining that they couldn’t get taxis when they needed them, and the town bus service was important.

At a previous meeting he stated that a serious cost was being incurred by people who had to come into the town several times a day, and the bus service needed to be restored. He wondered how many taxis were operating within the district.

When the council issued hackney licences there were more than 60 vehicles in the town and district.

Cllr Siobhán Ambrose said that the town bus service was a lifeline for people who didn’t drive.

The transport committee was looking at the possibility of rolling out a more extensive service that would include Tipperary University Hospital, the TUS college and more rural areas on its routes, she stated.