- Number of bus departures to more than double on the corridor between Waterford and Tramore
- More choice to travel and less waiting for passengers
- Earlier starts and later finishes on the service, meeting demand for travel at these times
- New two-way alignment in Tramore to replace existing one-way loop, making the service more useful for those taking local journeys within the town itself
The proposed changes are being introduced in response to an increase in demand for public transport, the population growth in the area and the regular requests to enhance and improve bus services locally.
The new plans include more frequent bus services, a more useful local bus service within Tramore and overall a more reliable and punctual service between Waterford City and Tramore. Improving the level of service on this corridor is an objective of the NTA’s Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan.
Launch of 360/360A connecting Ireland Service enhancements
The enhanced Bus Éireann Route 360 will provide buses between Tramore and Waterford Bus Station every 20 minutes during the day – an increased frequency of almost 80% on current services. Buses on this route will operate every 30 minutes in the evening, doubling today’s evening service. Route 360 services will start earlier in the morning, offering passengers the choice to travel onward by train from Waterford to Dublin.
The number of services operating on Route 360A will increase significantly, with buses operating every hour from 7am to 7pm, seven days a week, making it a substantial daylong service.
Speaking at the launch in Tramore, Anne Graham CEO of the NTA said: “The enhancements to these routes are significant and will positively impact the lives of people in Tramore who will use these bus services to travel locally around town or into the city and beyond.
“We are connecting more people with more places and the improvements to these routes represent one of the most significant enhancements under the Connecting Ireland programme this year.”
Stephen Kent, CEO of Bus Éireann said: “We at Bus Éireann are delighted to introduce these new and improved services from Sunday 17 December, significantly increasing public transport between Waterford and Tramore. Thanks to the National Transport Authority, through the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan we have added almost 1.8 million kilometres to our network this month, creating over 58 new jobs. Demand for our services is higher now than pre-pandemic, and these new routes and services enable us to connect more people with who and what matters to them. We will continue to work together with the NTA to enhance connectivity across the country, delivering an affordable, reliable and sustainable bus service for communities throughout Ireland.”
Route 360 will operate its existing route to the Riverstown Roundabout in Tramore and will then operate in both directions along Lower Branch Road, Tramore Bus Station, Church Road, Newtown Hill, Tramore Ring Road to Crobally Heights.
Route 360A in Tramore will operate in both directions via Riverstown Business Park, Riverstown Road, Lower Branch Road, Tramore Bus Station, Church Road, Priests’ Road, Summerhill, and Tramore Ring Road to Crobally Heights. This service into and out of Waterford City will be routed along Kilbarry Road, serving new estates along this road. A new stop will be provided to facilitate access in each direction to the SETU Cork Road campus at the Old Crystal Factory in Waterford.
Existing passengers who use stops between the Butlerstown Roundabout and SETU are now advised to change services onto Bus Éireann’s W1 or Route 354 to complete their journey.
