Cork City buses to introduce 90-minute free transfer Leap fare from next month
A new distance-based fare structure is also being introduced in a new commuter zone outside the city zone that will extend to some 30km from the city centre.
However, plans to introduce a new 'tap-on tap-off' payment system on the bus fleet around the same time have been delayed due to technical and software issues, the Irish Examiner has learned.
It follows the adoption of a new fares policy and two new fares zones for Cork by the board of the National Transport Authority (NTA). The fares will be introduced in three phases from next month, with the flat 90-minute Leap card fare introduced first, applying initially to Cork City bus services only.
The second stage, scheduled for later this year, will see a flat 90-minute Leap card bus and rail fare, applying to city bus services and to rail services between Kent, Little Island and Glounthane stations. The fare will be set higher than the bus-only 90-minute fare in stage one, which will then be discontinued.
And next year, stage three will see the introduction of distance-based commuter bus fares in the new Cork Commuter Zone, which is outside the city zone and extends 30km from the city centre to include the rest of the commuter train stations, including Midleton and Mallow, as well as commuter bus services operating in the area that extends to just south Fermoy, and takes in Bandon and Kinsale.
However, plans to install a pole-mounted Leap card validator system on buses to allow passengers board and pay without having to go to the driver have been delayed over technical and software issues.
The new fares structure, similar to the TFI 90-minute fare that operates in Dublin across the capital's bus and Luas network, is seen as a vital part of the BusConnects project. The fare changes will apply to the existing bus network before the Cork BusConnects network is introduced, from next April.
Green Party Cllr Oliver Moran said they will have a real impact.
'They're the first stage of the overall BusConnects programme that people will actually experience. They'll make a real difference to passengers and services here and now, where people will really feel it,' he said.
'In the next five to 10 years, we need to draw more people onto public transport in preparation for high-frequency commuter rail, BusConnects and eventually the Luas. Public transport has to be the go-to choice for commuting in the city in that time period.'
Despite the delay in the introduction of the tap-on, tap-off payment system, Mr Moran said once it's introduced, it will mean faster boarding.
'That's going to help with queuing times at busy stops like St Patrick's Street, Kent Station and Clontarf Street. It means in overall journey times, a bus driver can travel faster too along a route.'
Read More
Is more congestion in Cork City an inevitability?
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
9 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
Construction of first Dublin bus corridor of BusConnects project to start within weeks
Work will begin on the 9.2km corridor from Liffey Valley in west Dublin to the city centre in September and it is to be completed in three years. The cost is expected put between €198m to €247m, with Irish firm GMC Group getting the main contract. Announcing the contract and work schedule, Transport Minister Darragh O'Brien, said the project would transform bus use in the city. Passenger numbers on services using the corridor were expected to rise by 58pc, and an increase of 45pc in walkers and cyclists was expected on the accompanying new pedestrian and cycling infrastructure. 'Today marks a major turning point for BusConnects and for public transport in Dublin,' Mr O'Brien said. 'BusConnects is about futureproofing our city's transport network – creating a cleaner, better connected city that works for commuters, communities and the climate.' Dublin already has numerous bus lanes but the bus corridors will be exclusively for buses, with priority access at junctions and traffic lights. Twelve corridors have been designed, each running from a point near the city centre to a suburb or splitting half-way to serve two suburbs. They will run to a total length of 230km and be accompanied by 200km of new or improved cycle lanes. Road widening to create the corridors will require shaving off parts of the gardens and grounds of hundreds of homes and business premises with hundreds of roadside parking spaces and trees also to be removed. ADVERTISEMENT Contracts for a second corridor, running to Ballymun and Finglas, are due to be signed before the end of this year with construction to begin early in 2026. A third, the route serving Tallaght and Clondalkin, is to go to tender late this year. The other nine corridors have planning permission but six are being challenged in the courts. Mr O'Brien said he could not give a timeframe for the completion of the entire project as a result. However, he said he expected commenced projects would stick to targets. In preparing the contracts, he said: 'I emphasised two things – on time and on budget.' The Minister also said he was hopeful of MetroLink getting planning permission shortly. He said he disagreed with recent comments by Ryanair boss, Michael O'Leary, that the project was an unnecessary waste of money that wasn't needed for Dublin Airport. 'I'm not sure if Michael has looked at the business case for Metro – that for every euro invested there will be a return of €4 to the economy and the exchequer,' he said. The Minister confirmed that the extension of free travel for children up to eight would go ahead 'in September or October'. He gave no assurances around the continuation of the 20pc cut in public transport fares introduced during the cost of living crisis, however. He also said he expected that contactless payment on public transport would begin from late 2027.
Irish Times
a day ago
- Irish Times
Is it sensible to buy a house together in Ireland if you're not married?
Ireland is in love with cohabiting. Indeed, couples here have been shacking up together without marrying at a rapidly increasing rate. If you're saving for a house , or someone is struggling with rent, living together can make financial sense too – just don't forget to protect yourself. Upward trend Since the financial crash, couples here have become a whole lot more enamoured, it might seem. The number of those living together without children rose by 6 per cent between 2011 and 2016, CSO figures show. This increase then almost tripled, with a further 17 per cent rise recorded in Census 2022. There were almost 80,000 cohabiting couples without children recorded in that census; there were more than 85,000 cohabiting with children. A living arrangement seen as anything from bohemian to deviant a few decades ago is now unremarkable. In a housing and cost-of-living crisis, the home economics can work too. There are few more significant ways to commit to someone than by sharing a home – just know that mixing property and finances when you're not married can get tricky. Saving for a deposit One in three first-time-buyer homes now exceed €400,000 in value, according to the latest Banking and Payments Federation figures. These buyers, whose average age is now 36, are having to come up with a €40,000 deposit at least. With national average rents surpassing €2,000 a month, according to amassing a house deposit as an individual can seem unattainable. Living and saving together as a couple can speed things up. Committing to the future financial goal of home ownership bodes well for a relationship. An account where savings are combined can give a better return on lump sum deposit accounts or saving accounts. Just make sure the savings account is in joint names, that you both know the account password and have visibility of what's going in and out, says solicitor Niamh Moran of Carmody Moran solicitors. There is a move away from marriage. It's almost thought of as an old-fashioned concept. But marriage does bring certainty. You are potentially in a greyer area with cohabiting — Niamh Moran 'You would be minded to keep a record of what you are putting in, and make sure the money is in joint names. Know the amount, particularly if it has amassed to being a large sum,' says Moran. If either of you receives a large lump sum, such as redundancy or inheritance money, you could decide to ringfence it in a separate account. When buying a house together, your solicitor can itemise in a 'completion statement' who contributed what. If you split up, or if something happens to your partner, accessing funds in a bank account in their name only could be very difficult. As a cohabitant, you are not automatically their next of kin. 'There is a move away from marriage. It's almost thought of as an old-fashioned concept. But marriage does bring certainty. You are potentially in a greyer area with cohabiting; you are not in as solid ground,' says Moran. If you are living with someone and they die without a will, you have no automatic right to any share of 'their' money, no matter how long you have been together. 'Be aware. You are not a married couple, you don't have automatic entitlement, so in the event of a break-up or a death, the situation isn't entirely clear. So it's no harm to keep records,' says Moran. Moving in to 'your' place With rents through the roof, it's no wonder boyfriends or girlfriends are moving in. If you or your parents own the property, however, know that your love can acquire rights. Two types of law can apply in this situation, says solicitor Keith Walsh. The first has to do with gaining equity in the property – so if someone moves in and contributes to, or puts money into a property owned by someone else, they can be entitled to get it out, says Walsh. 'If your partner starts to pay the mortgage or contributes substantially to any structural-type repairs or direct costs in the home, they could be establishing some sort of equity interest in it,' he says. If, for example, a parent owns a property, and their daughter takes on the mortgage, she is gaining an interest in the property. If her partner puts money into the couple's joint account and that account is paying the mortgage, that potentially gives the partner an equitable interest in the property, says Walsh. If money is being paid towards the home, it's important to say that the purpose of the money is rent, he says. 'They can pay as much rent as they like and they are never going to acquire an interest in the property,' says Walsh. However, the rent is taxable, he says. Indirect contributions of labour or money towards renovation of the property can also count in a claim for equity in the property, says Moran. Financial dependence Where one cohabiting partner is financially dependent on the other, they can also make a claim for redress. This redress scheme is to protect financially dependent cohabitants should the relationship end due to a break-up or death. To qualify, you must have been living together with a partner in an intimate and committed relationship for at least five years, or two years if you have a child, and be financially dependent on them. Most cohabitants working without children are not going to be financially dependent on each other, says Walsh. 'You could argue, however, if you are staying in a property owned by your partner's parents, not paying rent, and you have forgone chances to buy a house, that you are financially dependent because you are getting free accommodation as part of the relationship,' he says. Having other housemates living in the home doesn't diminish the intimate and committed nature of your relationship either. Redress for cohabitants isn't automatic, however; you have to apply to the court, proving you are a financially dependent cohabitant. Those claiming redress must apply within two years of the breakdown of the relationship, or within six months of the grant of probate issuing where the cohabitant has died. Cohabitation agreement If you live together as partners and you do not intend to marry, you can protect your financial interests by entering into a 'cohabitation agreement'. This is where couples agree to opt out of the right to make a redress claim against each other. 'You are opting out of the redress scheme under the 2010 Cohabitants Act; you are waving those rights, basically,' says Moran. 'Quite often, [living arrangements] can develop into something much longer than anyone had intended.' A cohabitants' agreement can specify how you plan to separate your assets should the relationship come to an end. This way, you can agree what happens while things are amicable. 'If you are bringing another person into a property that is yours, or has been in your family, signing a cohabitation agreement would be highly advisable,' she says. It's not very romantic, but by signing this agreement at the outset, your beloved is agreeing not to make a claim on the property where you live. For the cohabitants' agreement to be valid and enforceable by the court, you must both get independent legal advice, and both of you must sign the agreement. 'By having everything down in black and white, these agreements don't tend to trouble the courts because everyone knows where they stand. If you enter into something very clearly, it does diminish the chances for dispute,' says Moran. 'I know those are very difficult conversations to have, but they are worthwhile having.' The difficulty can be that people fall into living together without anticipating the long-term consequences. Inheritance implications Cohabitants should know that if one of you dies without a will, you have no automatic right to any share of the other's property, money or possessions – no matter how long you have been together. Even if your partner has made a will, you will pay Capital Acquisitions Tax (CAT) at 33 per cent on gifts or inheritance over €16,250. Had you married, you would be automatically entitled to your spouse's whole estate, tax-free if there was no will, or two thirds of it if there was no will and they had children. Cohabitants should know that being in a long-term, committed relationship where you are not married means that the surviving partner can pay significantly more inheritance tax if the other dies. Thinking of breaking up? If you've been living together, you want to break up and you are worried about your blended finances, take legal advice before pulling the plug, says Moran. 'Sit down and look at it with someone impartially and plan for what might happen,' she says. If you have difficulty agreeing who is owed what, mediation will be less costly than legal proceedings. Couples can mitigate disputes by being clear-headed before they move in. 'I see these things when they get contentious. It causes stress and upset and takes time to resolve,' says Moran. 'The best thing is to deal with it at the outset and not let yourself drift into a situation because problems do arise.'
Irish Examiner
2 days ago
- Irish Examiner
MSD won't close Irish sites as part of $3bn cutbacks
Pharmaceutical giant MSD is slashing $3bn (€2.59bn) from its annual spending as part of global job cut but said it will not be closing any of its Irish sites. MSD yesterday announced a global cost-cutting exercise as it prepares for generic competition to its Irish-manufactured cancer drug Keytruda, the world's best-selling medicine, which is predominantly made in Ireland. The company will cut administrative, sales and research jobs, with increased focus on the US market. It has not said where the roles will be lost or if any Irish workers will be among those affected. However, a spokesperson told the Irish Examiner: "The restructuring announced today does not include site closures in Ireland." MSD employs more than 3,000 people at eight locations in Ireland. These include MSD Brinny in Co Cork specialising in development and manufacture of innovative novel vaccines and testing of immuno-oncology medicines; three facilities in Dublin (MSD Biotech, MSD Blackrock, and MSD Red Oak North); MSD Carlow; MSD Dunboyne in Co Meath; MSD Ballydine in Co Tipperary, the company's first Irish site; and MSD Dundalk, the former WuXi Vaccines sites acquired in January. The cost cuts will include $1.7bn (€1.47bn) in annual savings from the elimination of certain administrative, sales and R&D positions, MSD said. The company expects the restructuring to be completed by the end of 2027, the year before Keytruda's key patents expire and the drug faces US government price cuts. The company said it plans to reinvest the savings into developing new drugs and launching new products. EU-branded medicines will face 15% import tariffs under the new transatlantic trade deal agreed between the European bloc and the US at the weekend. Like many other pharmaceutical firms based in Ireland, MSD had stockpiled doses of Keytruda manufactured in Ireland, to protect itself from tariffs imposed in 2025. MSD previously disclosed plans to invest more than $9bn (€7.78bn) in US manufacturing over the next four years, part of an effort to make more of its medicines in the US. The company reiterated that it expects to spend $200m (€172m) on tariffs in 2025, a number that reflects levies already in place and doesn't account for future tariffs on pharmaceuticals.
