Concern has been expressed as no end date has been announced for the reversal of cuts to Cork's city bus services.
From October 20th hundreds of bus services will be curtailed as Bus Éireann struggles to recruit drivers.
A lack of bus lanes, traffic congestion and illegal bus stop use are all being cited as other huge issues impacting the city's bus services.
National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) General-Secretary Dermot O'Leary told RedFM News the company assured the union the restrictions should only run for 12 weeks.
"Our intention and trade union side is to work with the company to make sure it's not long-term," he said.
"When we met in Cork a number of weeks ago to discuss this issue, we got a commitment that it was for a 12-week period.
"We're not naive enough not to understand that 12 weeks could slip into 14 and 16 weeks.
"But in fairness to Bus Éireann on this occasion, they are trying their best from our point of view."
'12-week commitment'
Mr O'Leary says all sides don't want to see the reduction run any longer.
"They're trying their best externally to recruit," he said.
"So hopefully the 12-week commitment we got for the reduction in services will be met.
"But if not, certainly hopefully sooner rather than later.
"It's all our intentions - both the company and the trade unions - to work towards restoring services".
Driver shortage
Mr O'Leary said there is a shortage of drivers for services.
"The headline item here is that we're short [of] drivers and we are short [of] drivers," he said.
"It's an economy that allows people to choose their next employment - and they're not choosing Bus Éireann for a variety of reasons.
"Not least the social aspect of the driving hours - late evenings, into the night and weekends.
"But certainly that would be solved at a point in time - then the focus should rightly go on to politicians who sit on the City Council, for example, and they should be asked what are they doing to fix the traffic problems in Cork?"
Mr O'Leary warned buses in the city are about to get busier.
"It's unfortunate that the services have been reduced," he said.
"I would appeal to the people that are using bus services in Cork that there's going to be additional people travelling on the bus that they're travelling on now.
"The drivers are going to come under pressure - it's not the drivers fault, the drivers are doing the best they can under the circumstances they're being presented with," he added.
Bus Éireann says it is short 16 drivers to run a full timetable of services in Cork city.
