New fears have emerged that the X8 bus service from Cork to Dublin will eventually be made a non-stop, expressway service, bypassing towns like Fermoy and Mitchelstown. The news that the X8 bus service from Cork to Dublin will no longer stop in Urlingford and Portlaoise from this Sunday has sparked fears that it’ll end up an expressway service.

Local community activist in Fermoy, Joe Tobin says the two additional stops being cut from the route is a worrying development, leaving passengers who want to travel from Fermoy and Mitchelstown to those two places without a service.

“There was meant to be consultation before any changes were made but I didn’t see any consultation,” he said. “I’m calling on Bus Eireann to listen to the people and don’t leave them waiting at bus stops along the way. Listen to the travelling public.”

Bus Eireann says the changes come following customer feedback and in order to provide a city-to-city journey time of three hours and 45 minutes. Services will be provided 12 times a day in each direction from Portlaoise to Dublin city on its Expressway Route 12 and 12X. 10 of those services will operate to and from Dublin airport. In addition, they say, other rail and coach alternatives are available from Portlaoise.

REVISED JOURNEY TIME

The revised X8 will have a journey time of four hours and 10 minutes from Cork to Dublin airport, Bus Eireann says. There’ll be no stops between Cashel and Newlands Cross. The service will operate six times a day in each direction, serving Cork, Fermoy, Mitchelstown, Cahir, Cashel, Newlands Cross, Heuston Station, Eden Quay, Busaras and Dublin airport.

From Cork it’ll operate at 08.00, 10.00, 12.00, 14.00, 16.00 and 18.00 from Sunday next and from Dublin airport the times will be 07.30, 09.30, 11.30, 13.30, 15.30 and 17.30. From Busaras the service will operate at 08.00, 10.00, 12.00, 14.00, 16.00 and 18.00.

The National Transport Autority is to provide a replacement bus service from Portlaoise to Urlingford and Cashel and is finalising the details of that service at present. Customers using the new NRTA service will be able to connect to a range of coach and rail services to and from Dublin city in Portlaoise.

Bus Eireann have apologised to customers for any inconvenience caused by the changes. They’re promising new 63-seater coaches on Route X8 with improved customer facilities including free Wi-Fi, power sockets in selected seats, ISOFIX attachment points for child safety seats and extra comfort seating.

“Following customer feedback we have made these changes to Route X8 to ensure that we continue to meet the demand for reduced journey times and services to Dublin airport by having a limited number of stops and making greater use of the M8,” Bus Eireann’s PR manager Andrew McLindon explained.

Joe Tobin, who was previously critical of Bus Eireann’s X8 journey times, branding them “unrealistic”, says the solution should not have been to cut out stops along the route.