Big jump in passenger numbers on Kildare Local Link services
L-r John Nott, head of public transport services planning, Barry Doyle, Local Link Carlow Kilkenny Wicklow, Margaret Malone, NTA; Minister for Transport and Communications, Eamon Ryan, Jackie Mealy, Local Link, and Paddy Guilfoyle, a Local Link Driver Photo: Damien Eagers / Julien Behal Photography
Almost 5,000 are now using TFI Local Link bus services in Kildare and south Dublin, it has been revealed this week.
Journey numbers have reached a record high nationally, with people now using TFI Local Link bus services more than 100,000 times a week across rural Ireland, including 4,900 passengers in Kildare and south Dublin.
These bus services are provided for the National Transport Authority (NTA) by 15 Local Link offices around the country.
There were 105,986 passenger journeys on TFI Local Link services in the week ending 13 October 2024, which represents a more-than-five-fold increase compared to January 2022, when weekly passenger numbers were at 19,982.
Passenger journey numbers have been increasing consistently for over three years now. The weekly national average was 16,745 in 2021; 36,664 in 2022; and 78,892 in 2023. Now it has surged to 100,000 – a new high.
This dramatic increase in numbers coincides with the rollout of the NTA’s Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan, from January 2022.
Since then, over 110 new and enhanced TFI Local Link routes have been introduced under the plan, covering every county.
In Kildare and South Dublin alone, passenger numbers have increased more than five-fold, driven by the introduction or enhancement of key routes including Carlow to Naas, Kilcullen to Newbridge, and Newbridge to Naas via Allenwood.
2024 is the third year of a five-year implementation plan for Connecting Ireland.
Some 60 per cent of the proposed services are now in place, with the remainder to be introduced in the coming years.
“We have seen a transformation in public transport across rural Ireland and going by the numbers, people really like it,” said minister for transport Eamon Ryan.
“Reaching this milestone of 100,000 passengers a week is incredible but I’d like to think of it as just the beginning. We need buses cris-crossing this country and reaching into towns and villages everywhere.
“I want to thank the Local Link offices, operators, and passengers who have made this achievement possible.
“The exponential growth we’re seeing – up fivefold in just four years in many places — highlights the importance of the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan in delivering improved access and inclusion for rural Ireland.
“We are building not just a better-connected Ireland, but a more sustainable, equitable, and vibrant one — thanks to the hard work of everyone involved.”
TFI Local Link Kildare South Dublin general manager Alan Kerry added: “TFI Local Link for Kildare and South Dublin are proud to have contributed to the continual growth in passenger usage under the TFI Local Link brand."
