10 October 2019
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Cork Senator Tim Lombard has welcomed West Cork Connect, a private bus operation servicing the West Cork area, and praised the venture for providing the area with affordable transport options.
Senator Lombard said: “I have been campaigning for the reduction of bus fares in West Cork for a number of years. Bus Eireann has not done enough to provide affordable public bus to the area and I’m delighted to see that someone has taken the initiative and stepped into this space.
“From December this year West Cork Connect will be providing a service from Skibbereen to Cork city, with a return adult ticket only costing €19. The same ticket with Bus Eireann costs €32.
“It is great to see affordable bus prices finally being introduced in West Cork.
“As a member of the Oireachtas Climate Action committee I want to see increased use of public transport as a means through which we can achieve a cleaner, greener environment and meet our climate action targets.
“The introduction of affordable bus prices enables increased use of bus services and thus reduces our need to rely on individual vehicular transport.
Facts & Figures
West Cork Connect
– received a route licence from the National Transport Authority to run a service from West Cork to Cork City 7 days a week. This is the first time ever that a private operator in West Cork has being awarded a licence to run a service against the state funded Bus Eireann.
– are hoping to have this service up and running for the first week of December this year.
– will launch their website in the coming weeks which will have the full timetable and prices.
