Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 November 2025
230. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Transport further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 224 of 25 March, 417 of 29 April and 216 of 1 July 2025, for an update on improvements made in 2025 in communicating cancelled bus services, as per the details and assurances made by the NTA in response to same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65941/25]
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.
I want to reassure the Deputy that as part of my regular engagement, I met with the NTA last week to discuss a range of public transport matters, including the recent performance issues. I had also previously met with the NTA specifically on the issue of 'cancelled bus services', and they fully acknowledge that an inadequate level of service has been provided on certain routes in recent months, and they have been working closely with the operators to rectify the situation.
The performance of all public transport operators is monitored by the NTA as part of the contractual arrangements in place between it and the operators. These contractual arrangements allow for not just the monitoring of performance by the NTA and the publication by it of annual performance reports, but importantly, the contracts also allow for the imposition of financial penalties where performance does not meet the required standard. The NTA are also investing in a new vehicle location system for the fleet which will improve the reliability of the real time passenger information system. They continue to engage with operators to enhance service reliability and ensure continuous improvement.
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.
