Quarter of a million passengers catch the Portlaoise town buses

Almost a year since it was launched in the Laois county town, the Portlaoise Town Bus Service has hit over a quarter of a million passengers.

Laois County Council launched the City Direct service in February 2025, with the cost and running cost paid by the National Transport Authority (NTA). It cost €1.5m to set up and was expected to cost €1.6m a year to run, with 27 drivers employed. 

The green and yellow buses stop at 21 stops around Portlaoise every half hour from 5am to midnight, connecting housing estates on the outskirts of the town. 

All you need to know about the Portlaoise town bus service

It had proven immediately popular, the council said in its December management report.

"Strong uptake to the service was immediate and passenger numbers grew rapidly. To date in 2025 over 250,000 passengers have utilised the town bus service," Laois County Council say.

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Laois TD Willie Aird recently called on the Government to give more of its transport money to the Portlaoise bus service to add more stops, claiming it takes an hour to drive through Portlaoise.

"The problem now is it does not go to a quarter of enough of places (stops in Portlaoise)," he said.