Laois youths to play part in reimagining the future of Ireland’s public transport

Two young people from Laois are set to play a part in reimagining the future of Ireland's public transport system after being appointed to a new Youth Board set up by CIÉ.

22-year-old Jack Cuddy and 20-year-old Molly Hickey, both from Laois, will sit on the advisory board, providing insights, feedback and suggestions to feed into Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ), Ireland's largest public transport provider.

Jack comes from a background in human resource management, and currently serves as an ED&I Coordinator with a vested interest in the creation of sustainable and inclusive environments. Jack possesses extensive experience in advanced academic representation, and advocacy for health and well-being.

Meanwhile Molly has a longstanding interest in advocating for sustainability, which can be seen during their tenure as the Environmental and Sustainability Officer in their Student Union and their role in helping to implement the roll of the elimination of single use disposable cups.

The new Youth Board will address some key challenges and opportunities faced by CIÉ Group - from sharing a youth perspective on operational issues to reimagining how to encourage the public at large to move from private to public transport. 

250 young people applied to be part of the fifteen-person youth board.

The successful candidates represent a diverse mix of enthusiastic, motivated, open-minded and forward-thinking young people from different lived experiences and geographical locations, who are active users of Ireland’s public transport system and want to collaborate to bring a youth perspective to decision-making. The response for applications far exceeded expectations, as did the calibre of candidates applying, indicative of the passion of young people to have a say in the future of Ireland’s public transport system. The youth board will kick off its two-year board tenure in earnest in September. 

Fiona Ross, Outgoing Chairperson, CIÉ Board, who spearheaded this project said: “At CIÉ, we are on a journey to transform Ireland’s public transport system. We believe that having the perspective of young people, through a Youth Board informing our decision-making, will make us better as an organisation and deliver better outcomes for Ireland. We wanted to engage a diverse group of young people - creative, forward-thinking, ambitious young people - to collaborate with us to evolve and grow Ireland’s public transport system, future-proofing CIÉ. We were blown away with the quantity and quality of applicants. So many talented young people applied and we are delighted to have secured such a skilled and diverse group to sit on our first Youth Board. I can’t wait to see what they will achieve and have no doubt that their input will leave a lasting legacy for CIÉ and all who use public transport.”

Lorcan O’Connor, Group CEO of CIÉ, said: “Transport decisions made today will have long-term implications for young people well into the future, and the volume of applicants is testament to how young people want a say in the future of Ireland’s public transport. The calibre of young people joining the Youth Board can only help our decision-making as Ireland’s largest public transport provider with a vision to transform public transportation into a powerful force for positive environmental, social, and economic change.”