June 9th 2023
Today in Carlow I attended a trial run of CW1 - one of two new Carlow Town bus routes coming into operation next month. These new services are going to provide unprecedented connectivity for the town, and an affordable, sustainable transport option for people to get to, across and around the town of Carlow.
This is such a long overdue transport measure for Carlow, and it’s one I’m proud to say the Green Party has really been working hard to deliver -
not just for Carlow but for every rural and regional town where public transport is desperately needed if we are to encourage people to rethink how they get around their local areas and have better, safer, more live-able towns and cities.
In the last year alone, 38 new and enhanced bus services have been introduced under the Connecting Ireland plan to deliver more and better public transport for rural communities, and the Green Party also introduced the first fare reductions in over 70 years, along with half price fares for young adults. I'm thrilled to see Carlow now benefit from this government's focus on investing in public transport.
The two new Carlow town bus routes, CW1 and CW2, will be operational seven days a week, with buses every 30 minutes. There are early morning services to link people to those first interurban rail and bus services, and the last bus will run around midnight. Fares will be extremely affordable, at 55c for a child, student or anyone with a Young Adult LEAP card, and the adult fare will be just €1.10, and that single fare will allow you to interchange between the two route. Free travel cards will also be accepted.
The planners here have made a concerted effort to service areas of low car ownership with regular public transport, and that’s great to see because the reality is that not everyone can afford to own and maintain a private car, and we have to give people a way to get around, get to school or college or their workplace, and access vital local services without the need of a car.
Many more people are also now looking for a viable alternative to the car for some of their journeys, and by making it cheaper and easier to choose public transport we are providing that alternative and giving people options. With this regularity of service, the interconnectivity of the two routes, and the affordability of the fares I really believe this will be transformative for the people of Carlow.
When these routes become operational, 94% of Carlow town’s population will be within 800m of a bus stop. Better yet, 68% of people will be within 400m - that’s easy access to affordable and reliable public transport, delivered by the Green Party in government.
There's understandably huge local interest in these routes, so at the launch today I asked John Nott of the National Transport Authority - who oversees the Town Bus Services programme - to give us all the details on CW1 and CW2, but do get in touch with my office if you have any questions about this exciting new development for Carlow.