Public asked to share views Carlow town on bus service
The Carlow town bus service has seen more than 1.2 million passenger journeys since its introduction in July 2023
THE National Transport Authority (NTA) has launched a public consultation on Carlow town’s bus services, with passengers, residents and businesses invited to share their views on how the network can be improved.
The consultation runs until 5pm on Monday 2 November and is seeking feedback from passengers, residents, businesses and other stakeholders to help inform potential future improvements.
The Carlow town bus service was introduced by the NTA in July 2023 and is operated by Bus Éireann. Since then, the network has seen more than 1.2 million passengers take a trip.
The service consists of two routes, the CW1 and CW2, which connect key employment, education, retail and transport destinations across the town. Both routes operate every 30 minutes and overlap between Carlow Bus Station and Carlow Fire Station, giving passengers a bus every 15 minutes along that stretch and a chance to switch between the two routes.
However, there is demand for extending these routes and for the creation of new routes to other places in and outside the town. At a recent Carlow Municipal District meeting, cathaoirleach Ken Murnane said that the bus routes need to better serve Graiguecullen, adding that although 5,000 people live there, the bus barely serves that area.
At the same meeting, cllr Fintan Phelan agreed that the introduction of the bus routes had been hugely successful but felt a third bus route was needed. He mentioned that the current routes miss Castle Oaks estate, the Sue Ryder home and the Four Lakes shopping centre.
The NTA said the consultation forms part of its ongoing service monitoring and review process and it wants to hear how the existing services are operating and where improvements could be made to better meet the needs of the local community.
John Nott, head of service planning at the NTA, said: “We are keen to hear people’s views on the current services and any areas where they feel improvements could be made. The feedback received through this consultation will help inform our next steps for the network.”
Further information on the Carlow town bus service and details on how to make a submission, are available on the NTA’s consultation portal under ‘Carlow Town Bus Service Review’.
