Services were suspended along three routes last night
Bus Éireann (file photo)
With New Year’s celebrations in full swing across Cork last night, the buses were packed with revellers looking to head into town and have a good time. It’s one of the busiest nights of the year for our public transport system, but passengers on three key routes had to find another way into the city after services were suspended due to anti-social behaviour.
Last night, Bus Éireann warned of service disruptions in Mahon after the transport operator directed buses away from the Ringmahon Road and Skehard Road following reports of anti-social behaviour. The disruptions affected the 202, 202A and 212 routes last night.
It’s not the first time these services have been withdrawn from the area, with drivers reporting that stones have been thrown at their buses as they travelled along the route. Here in Cork, we’ve seen a number of bus windows smashed by these stones, leading to further service disruptions as buses need to be taken in for repairs.
The disruptions came at an unfortunate time for locals, who had to pay more for expensive transport options, such as taxis, to get into town last night. These service suspensions are a source of much frustration among residents, who have been dealing with this for several years.
In 2024, services on the 202 route were suspended after a thrown stone shattered a window. The suspension removed public transport options from Mahon Point, one of Cork’s busiest shopping centres, and the matter was later raised at local community policing forums.
Meanwhile, in Douglas, the glass of the bus stop along Maryborough Hill was smashed again overnight, with shards of glass littering the road and footpath. This particular bus stop has been vandalised several times, sparking calls for CCTV to be brought in to catch those responsible in the act. Last night’s incident has been reported to Bus Éireann and the Gardaí
Cllr Peter Horgan, Chair of the Cork City Council Transport Committee, has called for an increase in high-visibility policing to curb this type of behaviour and to keep both drivers and passengers safe.
He told CorkBeo: “There have been rocks thrown at buses along those routes in the past, and I imagine it was a similar issue again last night. Bus Éireann has said that the safety of their drivers and workers is paramount, so when this happens, buses are taken off the route.
“It’s unfortunate for commuters, particularly on New Year’s Eve, to be left without public transport options. People have been giving out about this, and it has been raised at local Garda community forums. I believe we need more Gardaí patrolling in a visible capacity around Blackrock and Mahon; we need that everywhere outside the city. Patrols need to be standard in the suburbs because people who engage in anti-social behaviour know there won’t be Gardaí there.”
Cllr Horgan said he was in favour of the transport security force proposed by the Government, but noted that little progress had been made since its initial proposal.
He continued: “I am in favour of a transport security force, but that’s a bit of a nebulous situation at the moment. It’s unclear whether it will follow an airport policing model or a Garda model, which would have powers of arrest. It has been committed to, but we haven’t seen much progress on it.
“There is no silver bullet solution to curbing this sort of behaviour. There are numerous stakeholders involved in the process, but the time for strategy is over. We need to see deliverables for workers and commuters across Cork city.”
CorkBeo has reached out to Bus Éireann for comment on last night’s incident.