New bus route for South Kilkenny

Benny McDonagh, Piltown Local Electoral Area Green Party representative has welcomed the decision by the NTA to expand and extend bus services from Waterford City, previously terminating in Portlaw, Co. Waterford, to Carrick-on-Suir, which will now to serve the communities of Piltown and Fiddown en route.

The announcement comes on foot of the decision of Suirway bus company to exit the public transport sector. In response, the NTA determined that there was a Public Service Obligation (PSO) and stepped in to provide a replacement bus service. The new route, which will be operational from November 1, will run all the way from Carrick-on-Suir to Dunmore East six times daily, serving Waterford City Centre.

Benny added: “This new bus route will unlock huge connectivity across South Kilkenny and East Waterford. These buses will pass the IDA Business Park, the main SETU Campus and University Hospital Waterford – students, people working on the Industrial Estates, people attending hospital appointments from South Kilkenny will now have that direct public transport option from Fiddown or Piltown. It will also increase connectivity to Carrick-on-Suir for work, shopping, but also connecting into existing rail services on the Waterford-Limerick line will give citizens alternatives to driving. It is my understanding that the longer-term plan is to extend this route all the way to Kilkenny City, and I’ll be pushing Minister Ryan to make that happen as soon as possible.

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“Additionally, the expansion of public transport networks in rural areas will give people options to reduce the use and ownership of cars. This will hopefully reduce the need for rural car ownership to maybe one per household, and where feasible with an expanded rural transport network, to none. In 2019 nearly three quarters of all journeys taken were by private car (as driver or passenger) whereas public transport accounted for just 4.8% of all journeys.”

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Minister Malcolm Noonan TD said: “This expansion of the old service from Dunmore East to Portlaw on through South Kilkenny which will now terminating in Carrick-On-Suir will be a great boon to areas such as Fiddown and Piltown. It will provide a cheap and reliable way to access all locations along the route including Waterford City from Carrick-On-Suir to Dunmore East. Expansions to the local bus network such as this are evidence of the Government’s commitment to rural Ireland and to ensuring its future through better, more economical and more frequent public transport links.”