Transport services in rural Ireland will increase by 25 per cent under a new €57 million Connecting Ireland plan.
Under the proposals, 70 per cent of people in rural Ireland and more than 100 rural villages will benefit from new regular, daily services.
An app to provide demand-based response, as well as subsidised hackney and community car services, are among the measures being considered under the scheme, which launched for public consultation on Friday.
Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan said: “This is Bus Connects for rural Ireland.
“This is a transformation in how we arrange local bus transport systems, provide more frequent services, provide better connectivity.
“It’s a 25 per cent increase in the overall number of services, but that’s only the start.
“Within that we’re looking at a 200 per cent increase in the level of local-link services.”
We’re already starting to deliver this better rural public transport system. Last April a new 5 times a day service was introduced around from the Dingle peninsula. That was a 4 fold increase in the timetable & saw a huge increase in patronage, even after the tourists went home. pic.twitter.com/Hs3FBtsS8u
— Eamon Ryan (@EamonRyan) October 29, 2021
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The five-year plan will have a budget of €57 million in total, with €5.7 million set aside for next year.
Mr Ryan said the provision of better services would drive an increase in the numbers using public transport.
He gave the example of a new service that started in the Dingle Peninsula in April this year, that operates five services a day, seven days a week.
“We’ve seen the patronage on that route increased almost 20-fold,” he said.
“It’s hard to believe, but existing service was so poor. Once you start providing good services people flock to it in Ireland.
“This is what we expect by providing the services, we think Irish people in rural Ireland are going to respond.
“It’s going to be important in terms of our smarter towns and building up more balanced regional development.
“It’s really important post-Covid, in allowing people to work remotely.”
Anne Graham, chief executive of the National Transport Authority, said one proposal is to develop an app to deliver demand-based services.
She said: “Rather than having a scheduled service, people can use an app to say I want to travel at this particular time.
Huge improvements & investment across rural public transport bus services. Delighted to attend launch of Connecting Ireland at Glendalough #Wicklow today with @TFIupdates CEO Ann Graham and Minister @EamonRyan
Public consultation open on plan, great new services for Wicklow pic.twitter.com/UhbthPGSsn— Steven Matthews TD (@stevensgreen1) October 29, 2021
“The app then brings those people together if at all possible, and offers the service to a number of people.
“It has been piloted, and it’s actually operational in a number of places in the UK, mostly in city or suburban kind areas, more so than rural areas.
“But we’d like to see whether there’s an opportunity to try it out at some stage through the five-year programme.”
Under the Connecting Ireland plan, more than 100 rural areas will benefit from a regular service, at least three return trips daily to their county town, for the first time, Ms Graham said.
There will be 60 new connections to regional cities from surrounding areas and “improved mobility options” for those in remote areas, through measures such as the app, hackneys and community cars.
Ms Graham added: “Seventy per cent of people in rural Ireland will have access to public transport service that provides at least three return trips daily to the nearby town.
“Over 100 rural villages with benefit from frequent public transport service for the first time.
“Overall service levels would increase by 25% and service levels at local level, that’s our local link service, will increase by 200%.”
