Local bus service proving a lifeline in rural Ireland

Rural Ireland faces many challenges, but one aspect of life that appears to be on the right road is the growth of transport links for those living outside of the main urban centres.

Local Link bus services operate in every county in the country, with over 110 routes now up and running since a government initiative to support the service, Connecting Ireland, was formally launched in 2021.

Passenger numbers for 2024 are due to be released in the coming weeks, with a spokesperson for the NTA confirming overall figures for the year are expected to be 25% up on 2023 figures. Passenger numbers surpassed the 100,000 mark last November.

Connecting Ireland is in its penultimate year of a five-year programme. Developed by the National Transport Authority, the scheme underpins the Local Link service that provides frequent and affordable transport services around the country, with every county reporting huge growth since 2021.

All Local Link offices provide a regular rural service, operating along a fixed route, as per a designated timetable. Demand-responsive transport services are also offered by some offices, whereby buses alter their routes for each journey, picking up and dropping off passengers according to individual needs.

While initially aimed at supporting those without private transport options, particularly older people living in rural areas, the service is now providing a vital service for people of all ages, including those attending third-level colleges who cannot secure student accommodation and remain living in rural homes.

In Waterford, the numbers using the service have doubled over the past three years – but some parts of the county are still without a public transport connection.

Ballyduff Upper is in the final stages of securing a Local Link for the area that will connect the village to Dungarvan, via Tallow, with hopes that the service will be up and running by the summer.

The small village is close to the Cork border and its population of 300 is not currently served by public transport. The closure of the local shop in recent years has put a huge strain on people, as the next nearest town, Tallow, is 7km away.

Game changer

Councillor John Pratt, who is chair of the Local Link committee, says he is very hopeful a new service will be operational within the coming months.

“We had progressed a plan for a Local Link service in Ballyduff Upper before the pandemic but it obviously stalled with Covid,” he says. “We’re now at the stage where we are seeking expressions of interest from transport providers and these are due back at the end of this month.

“Our hope is to have a four-day service, including Saturdays, with a bus running four times a day.”

Cllr Pratt says the service has proven to be a ‘game changer’ for people of all ages across Co Waterford and believes smaller communities, such as that of Ballyduff Upper, would be transformed with a reliable, regular public transport service.

“Ballyduff Upper has lost its post office, the credit union and the creamery in recent years and they haven’t had a shop either, so this transport link is vital for the people in the village, many of them elderly, who don’t have their own car,” he explains.

“We’re working in conjunction with the National Transport Authority and our intention is that the service will be up and running by June.

“Local Link has been a huge success throughout the county and we are looking to expand services all the time to meet demand, but what we wish to achieve isn’t always possible.

“It’s not just about securing buses and drivers, even with the funding available. You have to take into account safety issues surrounding suitable bus stops along certain routes.

Local Link is not about making money, we are providing a service to people who need to get to the shops or to work

"Buses are getting bigger to accommodate more and more passengers, so it makes it harder to service some routes that go up small rural roads, where it’s not safe to stop at at many places.

“We work with the council on all these matters, along with the NTA and we are fortunate to have a very hard-working Local Link board, and dedicated staff who are based in Dungarvan.

“Local Link is not about making money, we are providing a service to people who need to get to the shops or to work. We’re even facilitating children who use the service to get to college and school and, while it’s not a school bus service, I think more should be done to link these services in to schools.”

In the northwest, the Local Link office for Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim is working on a ground-breaking initiative that would see the service delivered cross-border.

The region has seen a quadrupling of passenger numbers on its Local Link services over the past three years and the community in Ballyshannon has identified a need to connect people living in the south east of the county, with their neighbours in Fermanagh.

Cross-border campaign

Rockfield Community Co-Op in Ballyshannon is leading the ‘Link us Up’ campaign to introduce a cross-border service to connect the town with Belleek.

“The Ballyshannon to Belleek link is the last piece of the puzzle in many ways as the service is working so well on several other routes out of Ballyshannon,” explains Martin McLaughlin of Rockfield Community Co-Op.

“We had a great turnout to a public meeting we organised at the end of last year and we have also had a lot of support from politicians and public representatives on both sides of the border.

“It’s a very wide, dispersed rural area between Ballyshannon and Belleek and there are several loops off what would be considered the most direct route for a service, but we are delighted that the Local Link office for Donegal, Leitrim and Sligo is engaging with us on this and appears to see the value in progressing a plan to connect the two communities.”

Businesses and community groups in both towns, which are 8km apart, are behind the connection which, like that in Ballyduff Upper, was first mooted before the pandemic.

However, the cross-border element of the proposed service means that any new route between the two regions will require approval from both the Dáil and the Northern Ireland Assembly.

“A special motion will have to be passed, north and south, but we have had great engagement from politicians in both jurisdictions so it’s very positive, even if this is not your average bear,” adds Martin.

“Ballyshannon has seen some businesses close in recent months and the town needs something positive to give it a boost. The loss of the Bank of Ireland in Belleek and the closure St Mary’s High School just outside the town has been a huge blow to the community, who fought hard to keep the school open. Any positive developments would be much welcomed in the area.

“Older members of the community – many of whom are isolated and unable to get to their nearest town for basic needs such as attending the health centre, banking or even bingo – would also be served with this bus connection.

“We firmly believe this is eminently doable but we need a lot of moving parts to fall into place,” he says.

Further information on Local Link services in your area, fares and timetables can be found at transportforireland.ie