EchoLive.ie, 28 Jan
In 2022, 13.9m passenger journeys were recorded on the various bus
routes in the city and county, compared to 8.7m in 2021 and 8.6m in
2020.
Number of people travelling by bus in Cork increased 60% last year
While last year’s figures marked a significant increase on the year
previous, passenger numbers were still down on pre-Covid levels, with
17.4m passenger journeys in Cork in 2019. Pic:Naoise Culhane.
Amy Nolan
PASSENGER numbers on Bus Éireann routes in Cork city and county
increased by almost 60 percent last year compared to 2021, according to
provisional figures from the National Transport Authority (NTA).
In 2022, 13.9m passenger journeys were recorded on the various bus
routes in the city and county, compared to 8.7m in 2021 and 8.6m in
2020.
While last year’s figures marked a significant increase on the year
previous, passenger numbers were still down on pre-Covid levels, with
17.4m passenger journeys in Cork in 2019.
The figures were provided to Cork East Labour TD Seán Sherlock who
requested the number of bus users on each individual bus route in Cork
city and county across the four year period.
The NTA said the 2022 figures have not been finalised and may be
subject to some changes or revisions.
Across the four years, the three most popular routes were the 220, the
208 and the 202.
Commenting on the figures, Labour local area rep for Cork, Peter Horgan
welcomed the increase in passenger numbers last year compared to 2021
but said more needs to be done to incentivise people to use public
transport.
“It is important to see commuting figures creep back to pre-pandemic
levels, but we have to be more ambitious now to surpass that.
“We need to see the multi-journey ticketing option of BusConnects
rolled out ahead of routes and bus corridor decisions.
“We need to see more Park N’ Ride sites created and utilised to reduce
traffic pinch flows.
“We need, desperately, from the NTA and City Hall, to see a PR campaign
highlighting the reasons to use the bus and public transport.
“We should be bombarded with messages about the cost of public
transport to your back pocket and the impact on climate change,” he
said.
“We in Labour still believe that our Transport Spokesperson Duncan
Smith's €9 climate ticket for Cork would have raised passenger numbers
even more.
“Myself and Cllr John Maher effectively argued for the inclusion of a
second 24 hour bus route for the northside and east west under
BusConnects.
“This is the level of ambition we need and more for public transport in
Cork,” Mr Horgan continued.
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