OpenStreetMap
When I moved to Ireland from Germany four years ago, I found it hard to adjust to the lack of public transport and the lack of transparency. I don’t have a driver’s license, so I kind of rely on it and I don’t mind it too much, even though it is inconvenient when there are only two buses a day. But this low frequency would require more transparency, IMHO, i.e. it should be easy to find out when and WHERE the buses leave. But no, that is a well kept secret in Ireland in my experience. Most rural bus stops have no signage whatsoever, so you have to rely on asking locals where the bus stop is. Or when you go somewhere, you have to ask the driver at arrival, where the bus stop for the return travel is. But you might forget. Or you might be shy. Or not speak the language.
Today, I went on a 15 min journey (yes, really far) on the bus. When I was waiting for it to arrive, I noticed two other companies’ coaches/ buses waiting. One of them serves the whole Republic and has a website, the other one not at all, at least I couldn’t find it. How do people know when the bus leaves, let alone where? I’m sure there are other people like me who want to travel eco-friendly, and, if they’re traveling as tourists, might want to meet locals by using public transport rather than hiring a car. (This was our means of transport, when I was traveling Turkey with two friends and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.)
The only way I see how to map the routes is actually take the bus and record all the stops and the route it takes. Really basic stuff, but I think it would make public transport more accessible. I’ve started today, but I only went as far as the first stop, so I’ll have to go the whole route another time.
Discussion
Comment from kucai on 6 May 2021 at 04:11
If those bus routes are anything similar to developing countries, the bus stops are just basically suggestions. In those countries, to disembark, ring the bell about 200-300 meters (depending how fast the bus goes), and the driver will find a suitable place to stop. Almost similar on how to stop a bus for a ride. Wave it down somewhere! Locals do have a basic idea of the time period the bus will pass by. (I had once waited nearly 4 hours for a bus - the mistake of not calling ahead the ticket office) :)
Comment from alan_gr on 6 May 2021 at 07:45
Maybe you already know this, but a lot of these routes are covered by the Transport for Ireland website and app https://www.transportforireland.ie/plan-a-journey/ - certainly route 882 is included. Incidentally they use OpenStreetMap as the background for their map display. I don’t know how reliable their stop locations are for the kind of rural route that doesn’t have signposted stops.
Sometimes there is also useful information on the Local Link websites for the various regions, e.g. https://www.ringalink.ie/bus-services/kilkenny/
I am not suggesting you use these sites directly for mapping - I don’t think the information is available under a licence suitable for OpenStreetMap. But they may help in your own explorations.
(I think you might be referring to the bus stops on Castle Road in Kilkenny? I have taken a few buses in the past there to get me to the starting point of hikes along the River Barrow and the River Nore, and it certainly was confusing at that time due to the lack of signage of the stops and even on the buses themselves. Sounds like it has not changed in the meantime).
Good luck exploring! ~Alan