Tipperary Local Link reports over 435,000 passenger journeys on its buses last year

More than 435,300 passenger journeys were clocked up on Tipperary Local Link bus services last year with the new Clonmel Town Bus service accounting for nearly 240,000 of those journeys.

That’s what TFI Tipperary Local Link General Manager Anthony Moroney reported in a presentation he gave to Tipperary County Council’s elected members at their January meeting in Nenagh.

He outlined that there were 239,489 passenger journeys made on the Clonmel Town Bus Service in its first year last year.

There were 155,074 passenger journeys on Tipperary Local Links Regular Rural Bus Services (RRS) around the county.

A further 32,488 passenger journeyd were made on the Local Link Door- to-Door bus services. These services have fixed routes but can divert to collect and drop off passengers at their homes if possible and must be pre-booked.

The Local Link bus service for the Ukrainian refugee community accounted for a further 8,287 passenger journeys. Overall, 435,338 passenger journeys were made on Tipperary Local Link bus services last year.

Mr Moroney also reported that passenger journeys on Tipperary Local Link services have risen eight fold since 2015.

Clonmel Cllr Siobhán Ambrose described the almost quarter of a million passenger journeys on the Clonmel Town Bus service as a “phenomenal success”.

She said she looked forward to the day a similar service is rolled out to other towns in the county as it was a “lifeline” and “social outlet” for a lot of people in her hometown. People told her they met individuals they hadn’t seen in years on the town bus.