TD: ‘A year on, people are still waiting’ for bus route
A Cork TD has expressed his bitter disappointment that a long-awaited new inter-county bus route has still not commenced, almost a year after its approval was announced.
Speaking this week, Cork North West Fine Gael TD, Deputy John Paul O’Shea said that when Route 515 connecting Mallow and Killarney was announced last November, it was met with great positivity by communities in both counties.
The proposed route, which was approved by the National Transport Authority (NTA) in November 2025, is intended to provide a new public transport link between Mallow and Killarney, serving Ballyclough, Castlemagner, Kanturk, Boherbue, Knocknagree, Rathmore, Gneeveguilla, and Kilcummin. The service is planned to provide up to six return services each day, seven days a week. However, despite the original confirmation that the route was at an advanced stage of planning, the service has yet to commence.
Deputy O’Shea said: “I have to say that I am bitterly disappointed that Route 515 has still not commenced.
“Almost a year on, people are still waiting. The communities along this route need action, not just announcements,” he added.
The delay has caused frustration given the importance of connecting rural communities with Mallow and Killarney for work, education, healthcare, and other essential services, the deputy noted.
He said: “I have been raising this issue with the NTA and will continue to press for a clear timeline for the commencement of Route 515. If funding and resources remain the barrier, then this needs to be addressed as a matter of priority.”
Deputy O’Shea said that the upcoming Budget 2027 must provide sufficient funding to allow the NTA to deliver the Route 515 service and ensure that other planned rural public transport improvements are also progressed.
He said: “We cannot have rural communities being told that services have been approved, only for them to remain on the drawing board because the necessary resources have not been made available.”
Deputy O’Shea said he will continue to engage with the NTA and the Minister for Transport to ensure that the necessary funding and resources are put in place.