Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 June 2025
200. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Transport to outline the amount of the €15million allocated to the National Transport Authority under Budget 2025 for the provision of new services across the State that was allocated towards the rollout of the B-Spine under BusConnects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31914/25]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport; however, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally and for the scheduling and timetabling of these services in conjunction with the relevant transport operators.
Budget 2025 provided a €658.44m funding package for the PSO programme, with €15 million included to support new bus and rail services in 2025, including the continuation of the BusConnects and the Connecting Ireland programmes, and the planned introduction of further new town services.
A number of enhancements were introduced across the PSO network throughout 2024 and the initial stage of Phase 6a of the BusConnects Network Redesign rollout in Dublin commenced service in late September. The implementation of the Dublin Redesign Network has been delivered in phases over a number of years, rolling out incrementally since 2021. The first of these Spines – the H-Spine and C-Spines– launched in 2021. Phase 3 and Phase 4 launched in 2022. Phase 5a and 5b launched in 2023. Most recently Phase 6a E-spine of the BusConnects Network Redesign commenced service on January 26th, 2025.
I can assure the Deputy that this Government is committed to delivering an accessible, reliable and affordable public transport system for all our citizens, including children. Under the Programme for Government, our commitments include the rollout of contactless payments, keeping fares affordable, and examining the further expansion of free public transport for children.
In light of the NTA's responsibility in this area, I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.
