In short
- buses.app lists more than 60 intercity bus and rail operators in Ireland, with more than 450 lines.
- Navan to Dublin is the busiest intercity relation in our data, with a fastest trip of 45 minutes.
- The fastest scheduled trip from Dublin to Galway is 2 h 18 min, to Cork 2 h 23 min, to Limerick 2 h 3 min.
- The Free Travel pass for people aged 66+ is accepted on all TFI services.
Intercity buses in Ireland connect Dublin with almost every city and county town, and they are often the only direct public transport between regional towns. buses.app brings them together with Irish Rail in one intercity section: more than 60 operators, more than 450 lines and more than 3,000 stops.
Who runs intercity buses in Ireland?
The largest operator by number of departures is Bus Éireann, the state bus company. Alongside it, a long list of private coach companies run their own routes. The operators with the most departures in our data are:
- Bus Éireann
- Iarnród Éireann / Irish Rail (trains are included, so you can compare bus and rail)
- Go-Ahead Ireland
- City Direct
- Dublin Bus
- Bernard Kavanagh & Sons, Citylink, Dublin Coach, JJ Kavanagh, Matthews Coach Hire and Burkesbus
- TFI Local Link Wexford, one of the regional rural bus services
Each operator has its own page, with its lines and stops, under intercity operators.
Which intercity routes are the busiest?
By number of departures, the busiest relations in Ireland are commuter corridors north and west of Dublin:
- Navan to Dublin: the busiest relation in our data, fastest trip 45 minutes.
- Drogheda to Dundalk: fastest trip 22 minutes.
- Dublin to Drogheda: fastest trip 30 minutes; Dublin to Dundalk: 52 minutes.
- Drogheda to Navan: fastest trip 20 minutes.
- Kilkenny to Waterford: fastest trip 35 minutes.
Which stations have the most intercity departures?
The busiest stops in our Irish intercity data show where regional and commuter routes meet. At the top are Drogheda bus station and Blanchardstown N3 on the western edge of Dublin, followed by Grand Parade and Dennehy's Cross in Cork and Busáras in Dublin city centre. If you are changing between two regional routes, these are the places where you are most likely to find a connection. Each stop has its own departure list on buses.app, so you can see which operators call there and when.
How long does it take from Dublin to Cork, Galway or Limerick?
These are the fastest scheduled connections in our timetable data, by bus or train (on some relations the fastest option is the train from Heuston or Connolly station):
- Dublin to Galway: 2 h 18 min.
- Dublin to Cork: 2 h 23 min.
- Dublin to Limerick: 2 h 3 min.
- Dublin to Waterford: 1 h 49 min; Dublin to Kilkenny: 1 h 30 min; Dublin to Athlone: 1 h 14 min.
- Dublin to Sligo: 3 h 3 min; Dublin to Tralee: 3 h 42 min.
Cross-country trips that avoid Dublin: Galway to Limerick takes from 1 h 20 min, Limerick to Cork from 1 h 35 min, Tralee to Killarney from 34 minutes, and Cork to Galway from 3 h 20 min.
Where do intercity buses leave from in Dublin?
Busáras, the central bus station, is one of the busiest intercity stations in Ireland in our data, with coaches to Navan, Wexford and many other towns. Other coaches use street stops along the quays, such as Burgh Quay, Bachelors Walk and Custom House Quay, so always check the exact stop for your operator. Trains leave from Heuston (west and south) and Connolly (north and the Sligo line). You can see all stations on the bus stations page.
How do I pay for an intercity bus?
Intercity fares are set by each operator and depend on the distance, so check the price with the operator before you travel. The TFI Leap Card is accepted on Bus Éireann city and town services and on selected commercial coaches, so it is worth asking whether your operator takes it. A few rules apply across Ireland:
- Young adults aged 19 to 25 and students get about 50% off adult Leap fares on TFI services and on selected commercial bus operators.
- People aged 66 and over who live in Ireland travel free on all TFI services with a Free Travel pass on their Public Services Card.
- On TFI Local Link rural buses, an adult single starts at €1.10 with Leap or €1.50 in cash, depending on the distance (at the time of writing, September 2026).
How to use buses.app for intercity trips in Ireland
- Open intercity routes and choose your relation, for example Dublin to Galway.
- Compare operators, departure times and the fastest journey, bus or train.
- On the day, check the next departures on the departures page for your station.
