Waterford’s BusConnects programme has been delayed until at least 2028.
Officials from the National Transport Authority attended Waterford last week to provide an update to the Council and hold a workshop with elected representatives.
BusConnects was originally due to roll out across Waterford in 2026, with the intention to ‘fundamentally transform’ Waterford’s bus network, and ‘more than double’ Waterford’s bus service so public travel becomes a viable option for people living and working across the City.
In a clear sign that the Council are at the mercy of national bodies when it comes to providing public transport solutions, the Council had said as recently as September that it hoped the rollout would begin in 2027.
In February of this year, the Council also revealed that it was required to use bus shelters procured through the National Transport Authority, which come from Germany at a total cost of €30,000 per shelter.
While delays in BusConnects mean a comprehensive public transport network is at least two more years away for Waterford, Active Travel projects continue to narrow junctions across the county to reduce the speed of traffic, and the NTA recently announced a 15% fare hike on most of its existing bus services.
This dynamic, at a time when the population is growing quickly, can only cause more traffic congestion with all the social and environmental consequences that brings.
UNCERTAINTY
Speaking at the September meeting for the Plenary Council Cllr. Declan Barry asked for an update on the BusConnects rollout. In reply, Director of Services, Gabriel Hynes, confirmed that the Council were hopefully the programme would begin in 2027.
“There is no decision to postpone BusConnects,” said Mr Hynes. “The NTA are currently working in the background in relation to the delivery. The plan would be that the infrastructure would be there next year, that’s the bus stops, the shelters, the terminals we need to deliver BusConnects.
“So, we would be hoping that we have consultation done this autumn with the rest of the infrastructure to go in for next year and we would be hopeful then that the rollout of the buses would commence early 2027.”
After this, Mr Hynes did acknowledge that the October meeting with the NTA may provide new information.
“Having said all that,” he continued. “The NTA will be attending Waterford next month to have a meeting with ourselves, and a workshop with yourselves [Waterford Councillors] at that stage you will get the opportunity to ask those questions in relation to the progress, the consultation process, and when it will all be in place.
“I think it is imperative that BusConnects is rolled out as soon as possible to offer the alternatives to people to move away from the car,” he added.
NTA DELAY
Last week the National Transport Authority visited Waterford for a workshop with councillors.
Cllr. David Daniels brought a motion to September’s Metropolitan meeting calling on the NTA and the Minister of Transport to release the funding for Waterford’s BusConnects and commence the rollout as a priority.
He was in attendance at the workshop with the NTA, afterwards he spoke to The Munster Express, saying: “They seem to be pretty confident that the 2028 deadline will be met. We are two years late if it goes in 2028, anything past that will be a disaster for us. So, hopefully they will be correct.
“Once it goes out to consultation, we will be looking to start all the infrastructure works for 2027. All the infrastructure has to be in place, and if that is not done in 2027 then the delivery of the buses won’t come. That is crucial,” Cllr. Daniels added.
Cllr. Daniels also highlighted that Waterford Council were completely dependent on the Department of Transport.
“The main thing here is the Department of Transport because we need funding. It was quoted to me as half a billion euro. The Council can plan, they can go to Part 8, but they need the funding for all this work to start,” he pointed out.
“There is going to have to be recruitment for staff and new drivers, there is going to have to be a tendering process for the new routes, and of course the investment in new buses. So, all of that is dependant on the money flowing from the Department of Transport.”
When asked if this was reminiscent of other major projects which did not receive prompt funding, Cllr. Daniels said: “We don’t have to go back too far, that’s what happened with our airport, the Department of Transport did not fund the capital expansion on the runway”.
“The Councillors had to have meetings about Mr. Bolster’s proposal. Over the years we maintained the running of the airport through putting in operating funding for a number of years. So, the Department of Transport let us down there,” he said.
“The problem with BusConnects is the sums of money involved is too much. The Council would not have that money.”
Cllr. Daniels also made the point that the current situation of leaving people at bus stops due to buses being overcrowded cannot continue for the next two years while Waterford waits for BusConnects.
“They gave us a commitment that they would talk to Bus Éireann to see if they would come up with something to sort out our current issues,” he said.
“They did mention they were not aware of some of the issues we were having here. They are aware now.”
LOW ATTENDANCE
It has been reported that there were only seven Councillors who represent Waterford’s Metropolitan area in attendance for the much awaited meeting with the National Transport Authority.
There are 18 Metropolitan councillors in total, the other 11 could have had other engagements, or may have decided not to attend the meeting for their own reasons.
Cllr. Joeanne Bailey was in attendance and expressed frustration with the BusConnects delay.
“I’m not happy that it has been pushed back again,” she said. “It’s really disappointing.”
Cllr. Bailey also made the point that there was plenty that could be addressed in Waterford’s Bus Network in the two years preceding the BusConnects rollout.
“The W3 is packed in the morning and doesn’t have enough services on, she said as an example. “And If someone from Kilcohan wants to get to the hospital they have to get on the W3, go all the way into town then get on another bus and go all the way out to the hospital.
“This, along with the state of the bus stops and bus shelters, is something we have been calling for across many years. So instead of waiting until 2028 for these new services. These are low hanging fruit that can be fixed now to improve the overall service.
“Rather than just waiting for the routes to come, there are routes there, there are bus stops there. They should put the funding into maintaining and fixing up the shelters that are already there,” she said.
“Apparently, we are going to have 30 buses around the City. That’s all great news, we’re not happy with the time it’s going to take, but surely, we shouldn’t be waiting to maintain our bus stops and bus shelters as well.
“Like for four years now I’m speaking about one bus shelter in Scoil Lorcáin in St John’s Park and we still haven’t got any bus shelter there.
“We are still asking children to come off the bus into school with no bus shelter,” Cllr. Bailey added.
COUNCIL AND NTA
Following the meeting with the NTA, Senior Resident Engineer, Paul Johnston, provided The Munster Express with a statement, outlining the Council’s view of the issue and explaining the work the Council had been undertaking to prepare for BusConnects.
“Waterford City & County Council remain committed to working with the National Transport Authority to deliver the Bus Connects Programme for Waterford,” Mr. Johnston said.
“The provision of a high quality, efficient public transport system is a key component of the Waterford Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy that was adopted in 2022. The Strategy also prioritises the objective to encourage walking and cycling as active and sustainable modes of transport.
“An update on Bus Connects was presented to the elected members of the Metropolitan Municipal District of Waterford City & County Council, and also to the elected members of the Piltown Municipal District of Kilkenny County Council by the National Transport Authority on Wednesday, 30 September, 2026.
“Over the last 18 months considerable work has been undertaken to identify, design and test the proposed new bus network. Over 300 individual bus stops, stands, lay-bys and terminal locations are proposed to be delivered throughout the Waterford Metropolitan Area, in Waterford and Kilkenny, and each individual location has undergone a design and safety audit process,” he said.
“The next stage of the Bus Connects Programme is to provide the necessary consents to deliver the new infrastructure. Various statutory and non-statutory processes will be utilised to provide for the upgraded infrastructure. It is expected that a consultation and information campaign will commence in October 2026 and will be available on Waterford City & County Council’s website. A comprehensive communications campaign will provide updates and allow feedback on the proposals. Procurement and construction of the infrastructure will commence in early 2027.
“At the recent briefing to Waterford City & County Council, the National Transport Authority confirmed the target Go-Live date for Bus Connects as Q1 2028.”
The Munster Express also contacted the Department of Transport for a statement on the delay. A spokesperson for the Department replied with the following: “The National Development Plan for 2026-2030 provides funding of over €12 billion for public transport infrastructure”.
“Funding provided in the plan will see significant advancements made in a number of public transport projects including progression of BusConnects across the five cities, including Waterford,” the Department spokesperson said.
“The NTA will publish a more detailed plan later this year setting out the elements of BusConnects Waterford will be advanced within the available funding,” the spokesperson added.
AARON KENT Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
