Nearly 270,000 journeys on Tipperary bus service as calls grow for phase two
Almost 270,000 journeys were made on the Clonmel Town Bus service last year, prompting renewed calls for the rollout of phase two of the project.
The Clonmel Town Bus service was launched by the National Transport Authority (NTA) in 2023, and offers a number of routes around the town, connecting housing estates with businesses around Clonmel.
The current town bus service has three routes, serving the Poppeyfields Retail Park, the Ard Gaothe Business Park, and the Crann Ard estate, as well as Tipperary University Hospital and the town centre.
At the February meeting of the Clonmel Borough District, Fianna Fáil councillor Siobhán Ambrose tabled a motion calling for representatives from the NTA and the Tipperary Transport Committee to be invited to a borough district meeting to re-enforce the need for phase two of the successful project.
Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Ambrose said that almost 270,000 journeys were made on the service last year alone.
"If I got one cent for every time somebody asked me when phase two is being rolled out. Everybody wants it to come into their estate, and we are pushing all the time for a phase two from the NTA in Dublin, and I would like if the representatives in both Tipperary Transport Committee and in the NTA would come before us just to re-enforce from all members the importance and the lifeline that this is,” Cllr Ambrose said.
"In 2025, there was an increase in numbers, over 269,714 passengers travelled on the bus, and it is free to old age pensioners. There are huge discounts for students, and now you can use either cash or card on the bus.
"We want to look at going to other areas like Oldbridge, Ard na Greine, Marlfield, Moangarriff, all of those, they all want this service,” Cllr Ambrose said.
The bus service has an economic benefit to Clonmel, the Fianna Fáil councillor said, but that it also has a social aspect for many older people.
"It is important for all young people to get places, people who don’t drive but elderly people as well from a social perspective, it’s good economically because people are socialising in Clonmel and leaving the car at home,” she said.
"You also have the business element, bringing people into town where they’re spending their money. 269,714 passengers, and that’s only phase one, if we were able to double that going into a second phase, look how phenomenal that would be,” Cllr Ambrose added.
Seconding her motion, Mayor of Clonmel Pat English said that the town bus service had been a tremendous success.
"It has been a tremendous success, and the onus is to put pressure on the committee and the Government to get the ball rolling on phase two,” he said.
“The community in Oldbridge really felt that they were left out last time around, so I fully support that motion,” he added.
Off the back of Cllr Ambrose’s motion, the Clonmel Borough District will now write to the NTA and the Tipperary Transport Committee to invite them to a future district meeting.