As 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. Further, the NTA also has statutory responsibility for promoting the development of integrated, accessible public transport networks and infrastructure. The NTA works with the relevant public transport operators, for example Go-Ahead, who have responsibility for day to day operational issues, to progressively make public transport more accessible.
I want to reassure the Deputy that as part of my regular engagement, I met with the NTA recently to discuss a range of public transport matters, including the recent performance issues. I had also previously met with the NTA specifically on the 'real time information failures on routes', 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 responsibilities for accessible public transport, including real-time passenger information, I have referred your question to the NTA for direct reply to you. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
