46,742 passengers used the Burren/Cliffs Explorer in its pilot season over the summer.
For the first time, Clare County Council have released details on the costs involved with the venture.
Director of Services for Tourism Development, Siobhán McNulty outlined, “this was a pilot initiative delivered in 2025, we are committed to delivering it again in 2026. The cost to Clare County Council in delivering this service is in the region of €500,000”.
National Parks and Wildlife Service who were described by the Director as “significant partners in this project” and are funding the route from Corofin to the National Park.
From the beginning of May to the end of August, the free shuttle bus linked Ballyvaughan, Corofin, Carron, Kilfenora, Doolin, Liscannor, and Lahinch with Lisdoonvarna and Miltown Malbay serving as the key hubs where free parking was available. The Explorer had stops at the Burren National Park, the Cliffs of Moher Experience, Aillwee Burren Experience, Poulnabrone, Michael Cusack Heritage Centre, The Burren Visitor Centre, and Caherconnell Stone Fort & Sheepdog Demonstrations.
August was the busiest month for the free shuttle bus with 18,366 passengers followed by 13,846 in July, 8,636 in June and 5,894 in its first month of operation in May.
Addressing a meeting of the Tourism Development SPC, the Director advised that 34.5 percent of all traffic on the Explorer came from Doolin which had eight routes per day. Miltown Malbay was the second busiest with its route to Lahinch, “the community of Miltown Malbay really got behind the shuttle”. Both Kilfenora and Liscannor accounted for 10.8 percent of passengers with Ballyvaughan (2.8%) and Carron (1.5%).
According to McNulty, “there is a bit of work to do on the marketing, we see the benefit and have seen the benefit of community engagement, when a community harnesses a project it results in football, the extent of which was evident when the community of Miltown Malbay grabbed a hold of the project”.
Signs at The Bellbridge Hotel and Inagh advertising the Burren/Cliffs Explorer were “well commented on”, she noted.
Feedback received in the review of the pilot was the absence of timetables at bus stops, the absence of signage in Irish which will result in “an extra cost”. Promotional material next year will be available in Irish and English, the Director outlined.
Other alterations on the cards for the second year of the Explorer include an extension of the Miltown Malbay service to have pick-ups at The Armada Hotel and The Bellbridge Hotel, “this is where there is footfall,” McNulty commented.
Ennistymon’s absence from the shuttle bus was a major talking point across the summer season. “We are actively pursuing including Ennistymon and the potential to commit it for 2026,” she said.
Additional parking options to have further hubs will be explored. There was confusion initially on booking, she acknowledged, “the marketing for 2026 will say it is advantageous to book in advance but equally you can rock up and be accommodated by the drivers”.
She continued, “we are proceeding with the project for 2026, it will be organic, there will be lessons to be learned and active tweaking”. Siobhán said, “For the communities where performance is less than what it could be, the ask if more community engagement on the routes”.
Providing the Explorer is “not just for tourism,” the Director explained. “It was a wonderful initiative, I am very proud it worked, it wasn’t without its challenges but we will go again in 2026. It is a pilot for two years, thereafter we have to have cold heart discussions on sustainability of it being free”.
Chairperson of the SPC, Cllr Shane Talty (FF) stated, “the pilot came following a long-heard demand locally to lessen the burden on roads and for businesses to give them the opportunity to offer this transport piece”. He clarified, “€500,000 is the contractual cost of providing it” to which the Director responded, “we haven’t included the income forgone”. Talty added, “Providers were crying out for something like this, it was a no brainer”.
Highlighting the need to improve the marketing of the service beyond North Clare, Ennis based Cllr Clare Colleran Molloy (FF) asked, “what was the name of the bus”.
Increasing footfall to towns and villages in North Clare is a big focus of the service, Cllr Joe Garrihy (FG) stressed. “It shows the leader role that was taken and the right way forward, it took so many years. A lot of communities were involved and really credit to team for getting it up and running. It is about bringing footfall into our towns and villages in particular which need it like Kilfenora, Lisdoonvarna and Fanore”. He questioned if €10 per person was the envisaged cost to sustain the shuttle to which Cllr Mary Howard (FG) calculated, “that would only cover it”.
All the learnings from the first four months were “amazing,” Cllr Garrihy stated. “Would you pay into Disneyland for €10. I’ve mentioned Disneyland and Las Vegas before and got in trouble,” he remarked in reference to previous comments criticising the lack of spin off from the Cliffs of Moher to surrounding areas.
Concluding the discussion, Cllr Shane Talty (FF) said, “I won’t labour the Ennistymon point” while asking that the Council do more than ‘actively pursue’ its inclusion for next year. “You learned by changing the Miltown route to pick up at the Bellbridge and the Armada. Ye have learned there, The Falls Hotel is number one accommodation provider in North Clare, the same learning needs to be applied by having a stop there”.
