Transport Minister under fire as new Wicklow Local Link bus rollout delayed to 2027
The Wicklow PeopleThe long‑awaited 199 Local Link bus service for east Wicklow has been hit with yet another delay, with the Transport Minister confirming that the route is now expected to begin operating in 2027.
The 199 route, designed to connect Glendalough, Laragh, Roundwood and Bray, was scheduled to launch in September 2025.
A contractor had been appointed, four drivers hired and a bus purchased, yet the service never materialised.
The community has been left without clear information about what went wrong, despite repeated assurances from both the National Transport Authority (NTA) and government figures that the route was funded and ready to go.
Speaking in the Dáil, Deputy Whitmore pressed the minister for a definitive start date, highlighting the consequences of the delay.
She told the chamber that residents had made significant life decisions based on the expectation that the service would be operational last autumn.
“People have been relying on it. They have been making life decisions – dropping out of college, not able to get jobs in other parts – because they are relying on this service to go from, say, Roundwood to Bray,” she said.
“They were told it would happen in September. To say now that there will be another six months’ delay, following a year’s delay, is just not good enough.”
Wicklow TD Jennifer Whitmore with CEO of Nolan Coaches Garrett O’Toole.
Minister O’Brien, responding on behalf of the Department of Transport, acknowledged the importance of the route and the frustration caused by the shifting timelines.
He pointed to significant increases in Public Service Obligation (PSO) funding and the success of the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan, which has expanded Local Link services nationwide.
He noted that passenger numbers on Local Link routes reached nearly seven million last year, a 19pc increase on the previous year, and that Wicklow, Carlow and Kilkenny saw an 81pc rise in usage following investment in rural transport.
However, when pressed on the 199 specifically, the minister said the service was subject to the same funding considerations as other new routes.
He stated that, based on current budget planning, he expected the 199 to begin operating in early 2027.
He added that he wanted to provide a realistic timeframe rather than week‑to‑week expectations that had previously been communicated to residents.
Deputy Whitmore described the situation as a “complete lack of clarity”, noting that she had been told as far back as May 2025 that the route was fully funded.
“There is a bus sitting in Clonshaugh in Dublin empty, not running, waiting to be used on this service,” she said. “Four drivers have been hired for this service. Everything is ready to go, and I do not understand how that funding is no longer there.”
She urged the minister to secure short-term “bridging funding” to allow the service to begin this September, aligning with the start of the academic year.
The minister did not commit to a September start, but said he would personally investigate why the NTA had previously indicated the route was funded.
He reiterated that if additional PSO funding became available this year, the government would seek to roll out new services sooner than planned.