TFI has dismissed as false rumours that routes in Bantry and other parts of West Cork are about to be discontinued.
The general manager of TFI’s Local Link routes, David O’Brien, said services in Bantry, and others throughout the county, are operating successfully and will continue to do so.
‘There are no plans whatsoever to cease any routes in any part of the County,’ Mr O’Brien told The Southern Star. ‘In fact, numbers travelling on the routes have grown exponentially year on year.
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‘In 2024 there were 368,256 passenger journeys increasing to 468,133 in 2025. And this figure will be over 500,00 passenger journeys in 2026.’
Mr O’Brien was responding to rumours circulating locally that the Transport for Ireland (TFI) rural transport service was to be shut down in Bantry in mid-August.
It is understood that the discontinuation of a separate bus service to the local fish factory may have led to fears that the Local Link was in jeopardy.
Mr O’Brien suggested there might be some ‘conflation’ arising from the National Transport Authority’s decision to put the routes out to private tender.
But he said that happened more than a year ago and the public procurement process was applied County-wide. ‘There was no change other than the fact that private operators now manage the routes,’ he stated.
He said the TFI Local Link Cork successfully delivers a range of transport services throughout the county. Mr O’Brien described the services as being categorised between high-frequency, seven-day routes and localised demand responsive routes that operate one or two days per week.
‘The range of transport services and routes has grown considerably through the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan over the past number of years,’ he added, ‘while other routes are presently in the planning for both West Cork and other parts of the county.
‘TFI Local Link Cork recognises that localised transport solutions are an essential component in combating rural isolation,’ Mr O’Brien concluded, ‘because the routes being provided gives people access to services and onward connections daily with local towns and villages.’
