Calls for free transport for refugees

Cork County Council has called on the Minister for Transport to provide free public transport passes for Ukrainian refugees in Ireland.

The joint motion by Fianna Fáil Cllr Frank O'Flynn and Fine Gael Cllr Noel McCarthy received great support among elected members at a meeting of Cork County Council on Monday.

The Fermoy councillors asked that Bus Éireann, Irish Rail and Local Link be made free of charge for a defined period of time to all Ukrainians fleeing the war.

Cllr O'Flynn said: “One of the most important things when they do come here is connectivity. You have families in different towns and villages.” He said he knows of two families that come into Fermoy twice a week which costs them €5 both ways on the Local Link Bus: “€5 out and €5 back is quite a lot of money to someone who lives on nothing.”

Fianna Fáil’s Gobnait Moynihan was one of many councillors to support the motion and said it would give Ukrainian refugees some much needed independence: “To be honest, the majority of them are looking for jobs already and once they’re set up with jobs, they won't need this, but it's just to help them out.

“Another side of it is, if they're living in a house with a family, this will give them independence. They'll be able to do their own thing instead of relying on the family.”

Over 28,000 refugees have arrived in Ireland since the Russian invasion in February. As part of the national response to the Ukrainian crisis, Cork County Council’s Community Support Programme undertook a community-led response to support Ukrainian refugees as they are accommodated around Cork county.

The council has established 19 local community support hubs in towns and villages that provide practical on the ground assistance throughout the county.

The Mayor of Cork Cllr Gillian Coughlan said: “The main aim of the Community Support Programme is to bring together all relevant public, private, community and voluntary stakeholders acting locally in order to ensure that Ukrainians arriving into our communities can access the relevant services and supports that they need, including local health, education, social and other integration needs.”