Cllr Kamegni has demanded a bus service tailored for Cork and run from Cork
15:09, 22 Jun 2026Updated 15:09, 22 Jun 2026
Bus Éireann buses in Cork city centre (stock)(Image: Thomas Lawrance/CorkBeo)
‘How many times have Cork commuters been left waiting for a bus that never arrived?’
If you use public transport to get around Leeside, chances are you’ve asked yourself this question. Now one Cork City Councillor has urged local authorities to consider a “bold new conversation” about creating a dedicated bus service purely for Cork – “locally managed, accountable to the people of Cork and designed around the needs of our growing city.”
Speaking at a recent meeting of Cork City Council, Green Cllr Honore Kamegni (Cork City South-East), said that residents in Cork should be given “a second option when it comes to public transport.”
In recent years, Bus Éireann’s service in Cork city has faced criticism from customers and local representatives, with routes plagued by ‘ghost buses’ – which show up on the official app but not in reality – and at least one in ten Cork buses simply not turning up in the second half of 2024.
Speaking at City Hall, Cllr Kamegni highlighted the matter of vanishing buses: “Can I ask, who here has been let down by a bus that just didn’t show up? That is not backlog – that is a system that is not working for Cork. We know a one-size-fits-all service doesn’t work for a growing city.”
Cllr Kamegni has instead advocated for “Cork Bus, a public city-run service, accountable to this council, accountable to this city.” He explained that his vision for the Cork Bus service would include a “focus on reliability, a focus on frequency and proper pay for drivers.”
In a motion put to Cork City Council, Cllr Kamegni urged the authority to “recognise the continued unsatisfactory bus service and that a one-size-fits-all approach is not fit for purpose in Cork, that Cork City Council supports the creation of ‘Cork Bus’ to take control of city bus services in Cork, as a new public service under the direction of Cork City Council.
The motion added that its aim would be “to achieve minimum standards in reliability and frequency through accountable management with the autonomy to offer competitive driver salaries tailored to Cork, and to coordinate effectively with the Council’s housing, planning and roads functions, so that compact growth is supported by the key enabler of sustainable mobility, as detailed in the National Planning Framework and the Cork City Development Plan.”
Cork’s Transport and Mobility Strategic Policy Committee considered a report by Director of Services on Cllr Kamegni’s motion. It was agreed to accept the report and to refer it to An Chomhairle for approval.
Some Bus Éireann services have also been hampered by issues outside of the company’s control – including anti-social behaviour, with drivers sometimes instructed to avoid certain areas. In one recent case, a driver forced to evacuate a bus after rocks were thrown at its windows in Mahon.
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