'Local Link has been an absolute game changer'- Leitrim councillors praise local service

Leitrim councillors praised the Local Link service in the county saying that it was a vital service for rural communities. 

Cllr Enda Stenson stated: "Thanks for the great work you're doing. Local Link has been an absolute game changer for Leitrim, particularly where we want to keep people in rural areas and local transport and the link to bigger towns is very important. You do a great job and you should be thanked for what you do; the more rural areas you take in in Leitrim, the better it is for that area."

Cllr Cormac Flynn, who is Principal at Mohill Community College, also praised the service but noted that secondary school students in Dromad who previously relied on Local Link to get to and from school are missing classes due to a change in the timetable.

READ MORE: New publication details Armada survivor’s Sligo–Leitrim journey

He continued that students from Dromad and Gorvagh are missing both morning and evening classes as a result of a change to the 564 route - Ballinamore to Carrick-on-Shannon. "They had previously taken the Local Link to and from school and there were timetables changes which meant that they are now all 25 minutes late which causes some of them anxiety and some have to leave school an hour early at 3.05pm to get the bus at 3.15pm and so they are missing their last class."

He concluded the Bus Éireann is overcrowded and unable to accommodate them.

Referring to the general service provided by Local Link, Cllr Flynn said he felt allowing public representatives to bring their suggestions to the table when a route is being developed, would be beneficial. "Sometimes local knowledge can come in useful, in terms of maybe older people without public transport; so there may be just six to ten on the road but they all require the service but the road doesn't end up on the route. That local knowledge that constituents are feeding us; is there a way we could feed into that decision-making processes when making those decisions? Maybe if we could change some of those routes, we'd have a far better service."

Claire Campbell from Local Link Donegal Sligo Leitrim, who gave a presentation, said that changes to the timetable are made by the service planning section in the National Transport Authority (NTA). "The change times to see what else they can meet with e.g another bus and it's also to try and cater for workers and the wider population. We get limited input. They can see the bigger picture when it comes to Connecting Ireland meeting with trains, trying to meet with Bus Éireann buses. They have a dedicated email address for public representatives."

READ MORE: Leitrim residents urged to get flu vaccine as cases surge and hospitals face pressure

Ms Campbell continued that there are seven Rural Social Schemes (RSS) services which run seven days a week, except Christmas day and are all wheelchair accessible. There are 22 Door-to-Door (DRT) services in the county. 

She continued that all drivers are trained in a number of areas including first aid and customer service and in Leitrim, Sligo and Donegal, over 1.2 million people have used the service, in 2025.  

John Carr, a colleague of Ms Campbell, said that in reference to the 564 route, Ballinamore to Carrick-on-Shannon, this route "was significantly enhanced and went from four return services a day to eight for better connectivity with train services in Dromad. Also, the National Transport Authority would say that school transport is not their field and it's under the remit of the Department of Education and Bus Éireann."

Cllr Sean McGowan complimented the service saying it was "a great boost to this county" and is "second to none". 

He added that he welcomed a new service that was due to start next year. "There is a new service starting from Longford, Roosky, Dromad, Mohill, Aughavas, Carrigallen and into Cavan. I believe it's two or three times a day each way."

He asked about the service from Gortletteragh to Carrick-on-Shannon which runs on Tuesdays and asked if "that could be extended for another day.