North Kerry bus shelters allegedly delayed due to council staff turnover

By Alastair Tibbs, The Kerryman

North Kerry’s new bus shelters are to be delayed further as residents are left waiting for transport exposed to the winter’s elements.

The National Transport Authority said the projects had “fallen through the cracks” at Kerry County Council (KCC) due to staff turnover.

At a council meeting on Monday, both Councillor Tom Barry and Councillor Michael Foley asked for updates on bus shelters in the Listowel Municipal District.

Bus shelters for Ballybunion and Lixnaw village have been in the works for some time, with the council still in early planning stages.

Councillor Tom Barry asked what progress had been made with Lixnaw village’s shelter and emphasised it was “not a major ask”.

“They’re not asking for anything fancy, just a regular bus shelter so they can stand out of the rain and the elements,” said Cllr Barry.

Cllr Foley echoed similar concerns regarding Ballybunion’s delayed bus stop, describing daily scenes of locals standing out in all weather conditions, waiting for public transport.

While the National Transport Authority (NTA) is responsible for funding the projects, it’s the council’s duty to apply for that investment and get approval from the NTA to proceed with the initiative.

Cllr Foley had written to the NTA to ask after a previously mentioned pot of €500,000 which had been allocated to KCC, but the NTA said the project “seems to have fallen through the cracks” at the council due to staff turnover.

Councillors were told in February of the earmarked funding as it was announced that 94 locations across Kerry were selected for bus stop installation by the NTA as part of the Bus Stop Enhancement Programme.

At the time, 43 of the bus stops were ready for installation, with 27 to be installed by the council and 16 more to be installed by a NTA contractor.

A further 51 bus stops were to be installed after the required safety audits and approvals were received.

At the meeting on Monday, council accepted that “without a doubt” that the projects been delayed but highlighted that the NTA are driving these particular bus stop installations and are responsible for appointing contractors. The NTA’s bus stop programme had seen delays nationally, the council said, sharing Cllr Foley’s frustrations.

The council said the planning phase of the Ballybunion bus stop is hoped to commence in early 2026, while the best location for a shelter in Lixnaw is still being assessed.

Cllr Foley, however, replied that the council meets the NTA regularly and indicated his dissatisfaction with the way the matter had been dealt.