New bus fares 'a real win for the city'

A new 90 minute Leap Card flat fare will be introduced on Cork’s city bus network in August.

It will allow passengers to transfer between buses for free within 90 minutes, at no extra cost.

Similar changes are planned for Cork’s suburbs and beyond. Fares will be integrated across bus and rail services in the commuter zone, which extends up to 30 km from the city. These changes are expected by 2026.

Green Party Cllr Honoré Kamegni, who promoted these changes in Cork City Council, called it “a real win for the city”. “This announcement follows my March 2025 motion in Cork City Council, which called on the Government and the National Transport Authority (NTA) to bring the 90 minute fare to our city.”

Meanwhile, plans to introduce the ‘tap-on / tap-off’ system – expected to speed up boarding – have been delayed due to technical issues.

Independent councillor Kieran McCarthy has called on the NTA to focus more on contactless transit payments. He believes Cork must get ahead of the curve in adopting modern payment methods. “The 90mins Leap Card is welcome but the delay to tap and go by bank card or mobile phone or digital wallet is very disappointing. Secure contactless transit payments systems are in many EU cities.”

Cllr McCarthy said Cork is years behind several smaller cities. He believes the tap-on/tap-off system would “shorten the queues and make every stop more than sometimes an epic battle of what to do with a customer who has no cash or has large bank notes on them”.

This article was produced with the support of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme funded by Coimisiún na Meán.