Increased bus services on local Waterford route announced due to demand

Increased demand for bus services in Waterford will see an increase in bus services on a local route in Waterford, it has been confirmed. 

The National Transport Authority (NTA), in partnership with Bus Éireann and TFI Local Link Waterford, have annoucned plans to improve bus services on Routes 360 & 360A between Waterford and Tramore from August 2023.

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 for enhancing and improving bus services locally.

The new plans include more frequent bus services, shorter journey times for many passengers, a more useful local bus service within Tramore and overall a more reliable and punctual service for everyone. 

These proposed enhanced routes are part of the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan, a major national public transport initiative developed and funded by the NTA as part of the Transport for Ireland (TFI) network.

Under the proposals, Bus Éireann Route 360 will provide buses between Tramore and Waterford Bus Station every 20 minutes during the day – an increased frequency of 50% 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 from Waterford to Dublin.

Route 360A will continue to operate the same number of services, with some minor timetable adjustments.

The combination of Route 360 and 360A will result in buses operating every 15 minutes from Tramore to Waterford during the morning peak, and every 15 to 20 minutes from Waterford to Tramore in the evening peak period.

The route operated by both the 360 and 360A will be amended in Tramore to provide a useful local bus service to and from the centre of the town for the majority of residents.

Buses will operate via Tramore Bus Station, Ring Road and Summer Hill Rise to a new terminus adjacent to Árd Na Groí, northwest of the town. Intending passengers from Cove Park are asked to use a new bus stop a short distance away at Newtown Hill to access the enhanced services. The current situation where both routes run one-way anti-clockwise around Tramore will be replaced by a new two-way routeing making the services more useful for local travel within the town.

Riverstown is to be served by a newly-rerouted Route 358 running two-ways between Árd Na Groí in Tramore, Dunmore East, Passage East and Waterford via the University Hospital, rather than the current Route 360, which only serves the area in one direction.

Using fully accessible vehicles, Route 358 is operated by TFI Local Link Waterford, and will offer a bus service from the centre of Tramore to Riverstown for the first time. Thanks to Route 358, it will also be possible to get a bus from Riverstown to Waterford City and the University Hospital Waterford for those who do not to wish to walk out to stops on the main Waterford Road (R675). New stops will be provided in this location to facilitate customers for whom travelling on the more frequent Routes 360/A remains the best option.

In Waterford City, services on Route 360A will be re-routed to and from Waterford via Kilbarry Road, offering bus services where a demand for public transport is not currently served and shortening the journey time for Route 360A passengers. A new stop will be provided to facilitate access in each direction to the SETU Cork Road campus in Waterford.