Written Answers Nos. 254-273
255. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Transport the details of passenger demand after 9pm on Route 33 and Route 33X based on ticketing and Leap card data; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69890/25]
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, in this case Dublin Bus.
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.
256. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Transport if private taxi operating firms could be expanded to rural Ireland (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69935/25]
View answerThe regulation of the small public service vehicle (SPSV) industry is a matter for the independent transport regulator, the National Transport Authority (NTA), under the provisions of the Consolidated Taxi Regulation Acts 2013 and 2016. I have no role in the day-to-day operations of the SPSV sector.
Ireland's SPSV regulatory framework requires that all drivers and vehicles are licensed, as a means of protecting the consumer and helping ensure public safety. Furthermore, no special regulations have been developed to govern the carriage of passengers by passenger cars which are not SPSVs. Therefore, the classic model where anyone with a car and the relevant App may provide taxi services, does not exist here. The protection of the consumer and personal safety are vital objectives and must continue to be central to how the SPSV industry is regulated and operated.
Uber has been operating as a licensed dispatch operator in Ireland since 2014 and, as it is considered a transport service which offers the carriage of passengers for reward, it is subject to the same regulations as all SPSVs in Ireland. A SPSV dispatch operator is an individual or organisation that provides a service for taking bookings for SPSV services that are delivered by someone else, or who provides a service that enables intending passengers to arrange the hire of an SPSV themselves. The NTA grants dispatch operator licences to individuals or companies, such as Uber which meets set criteria. Dispatch operators have an important role to play in providing a first-class service to the travelling public and improving the delivery of door-to-door services to people with disabilities.
The purpose of the local area hackney (LAH) licence is to offer a SPSV service in a rural community where existing transport services do not serve the needs of the community. The LAH can meet the demand for these services, but it cannot displace any existing SPSV services. Applications are open to any person who wishes to provide this service, subject to the regulations.
The NTA held a public consultation, which closed on 28 November last, on proposed changes to the current LAH regulations to increase LAH licence uptake. The proposed key changes to the regulations are to: (1) permit more than one local area hackney driver to operate the local area hackney; (2) enhance the voice of local communities regarding the transport needs assessment for their area, and (3) reduce the regulatory burden on applicants by giving greater clarity to local communities and applicants on the areas nationwide that are open for applications for LAH licences.
In addition to those key changes, the NTA also proposes to: extend the maximum licence period for vehicles and drivers from 3 years to 5 years; mandate licence holders to demonstrate that they are providing satisfactory service to their community when renewing their licence; reduce the time period in which a licence holder must complete their licence renewals from 12/24 months following expiration to within 3 months of their licence expiry to ensure that a community is not without the required services, and introduce a new Fixed Penalty Notice offence for picking up passengers outside of their permitted local area.
257. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Transport the reason the National Transport Authority (NTA) has suspended part of the bus service on the Westport–Louisburgh–Killeen–Killadoon route; the reason the request from local representatives to reinstate the Killeen–Killadoon section has been refused; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69937/25]
View answerAs Minister of State at the Department of Transport with special responsibility for Rural Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to rural public transport service provision; however, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations.
The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally. In light of the NTA responsibilities 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.
258. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Transport the measures that will be taken to address underserved by public transport including the provision of a Local Link service in an area (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69939/25]
View answerAs Minister of State at the Department of Transport with special responsibility for Rural Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to rural public transport service provision; however, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations.
The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally. In light of the NTA responsibilities 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.
259. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Transport to consider extending the ANSEO rural link pilot scheme, currently operating in Achill, to the Louisburgh–Killeen–Drummin–Roonagh Harbour hinterland, given its potential to provide a sustainable and climate-friendly transport solution for these communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69941/25]
View answerAs Minister of State at the Department of Transport with special responsibility for Rural Transport I recognise the importance of boosting connectivity in County Mayo. In 2025, with funding under the Climate Action Fund, the NTA implemented a pilot Smart DRT service in three areas as part of the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan.
Using the ‘TFI Anseo’ app, passengers in Achill, Killarney Town and north east of Limerick City are now able to book on-demand rides with ease, bringing the convenience of modern rideshare together with reliability and affordability of public transport. For rural areas and communities, this has the huge potential to integrate ‘first and last mile’ connections.
Each of the pilots will run for one year and will then be reviewed before consideration is given to adopting the app on existing Local Link DRT services and to expanding it's use to other areas.
In light of the NTA's responsibilities for the provision of rural transport services, I have referred the Deputy's question to the Authority for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
260. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Transport the way in which rural transport policy will be aligned with Ireland’s climate action targets, particularly in areas where the absence of public transport forces reliance on private cars (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69943/25]
View answerFor the transport sector, we are required to pursue a decarbonisation pathway to achieve a 50% reduction in transport emissions by 2030 (relative to 2018 levels) in a manner that is consistent with sectoral emission ceilings that were agreed by Government in August 2022. Despite continued economic and population growth, transport emissions have started to decline year-on-year.
The transport chapter of the annually updated national Climate Action Plan (CAP) sets out the policy pathway to achieve these emission reductions and uses an Avoid-Shift-Improve framework where the aim is to:
• Avoid: generating unsustainable additional transport demand through, for example, better spatial, urban, and land-use planning.
• Shift: to more sustainable modes of transport, such as active travel and public transport.
• Improve: the efficiency of residual vehicle journeys through widespread electrification and the use of renewable alternative fuels.
Avoid: My department is finalising a new national strategy called Moving Together. The development of this Strategy was guided by four key principles – one is Rural Recognition. Within this context, the Strategy acknowledges that people in rural areas are more dependent on cars and, on average, use cars more than those in urban areas. While the approach to managing transport demand and congestion will typically be ‘urban first’, there are many recommendations in the Strategy that recognise the challenge for captive car users, particularly those in rural communities. The Rural Recognition principle will be carried forward into the implementation phase of Strategy and I look forward to progressing work on the recommendations following Government approval.
Moving Together will also complement and mutually reinforce the significant investment that is being made in public transport services and active travel infrastructure through the implementation of the National Sustainable Mobility Policy (SMP). Goal 4 of the SMP commits to expanding the availability of sustainable mobility in regional and rural areas, and its accompanying SMP Action Plan 2022-2025 provided for a significant ramping up in the delivery of active travel and greenway projects since the launch of the Policy. A new SMP Action Plan 2026-2030 is currently under development, with many actions expected to support the rural transport objectives set out in Goal 4 of the SMP. These will help to ‘Shift’ people to more sustainable modes like walking, cycling, public and shared transport in rural as well as urban areas whereas Moving Together will help people to ‘Avoid’ more unsustainable journeys, in line with Ireland’s Avoid-Shift-Improve approach to decarbonisation.
Shift: With regards to active travel, this Government has allocated funding to ensure all parts of the country – not just the five cities – benefit from improved active travel infrastructure. Since the publication of the Climate Action Plan 2021, my department has invested over €1 billion in active travel projects through the National Transport Authority’s (NTA’s) Active and Sustainable Transport Investment Programme, delivering over 1,000 km of walking and cycling projects around the country. In 2025 approximately €293 million has been allocated to this Programme, in addition to a commitment by my Department and TII to spending €67 million on Greenways and National Roads Active Travel infrastructure. It is expected that approximately 200km of walking and cycling infrastructure will be delivered in 2025.
Under the NTA Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan, 70% of people in rural Ireland will have buses that provide at least 3 trips daily to nearby towns by 2030. Since the launch of this plan in 2022, over 180 new and enhanced services have been delivered. The plan also outlines the need for improved mobility options for those in remote areas with the provision of Demand Responsive and other innovative transport services.
Improve: Where it is simply not feasible for people in more rural settings to reduce their car travel (in terms of number of car journeys, as well as distance travelled), such people are encouraged to consider EV’s when they come to make their next car purchase. We are seeing steady growth in the number of EV registrations, and I announced in October that Ireland has already met its Climate Action Plan target of 195,000 electric vehicles on the road by the end of 2025, a key milestone in the nation's transition to cleaner transport. Additionally, the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) continues to see increases in our biofuel blend rates and increased the volume of biofuel supply by 60% between 2021 and 2023, representing displacement of two hundred thousand tonnes of CO2 each year.
261. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Transport the position regarding the new planned Local Link service between Roundwood and Bray, County Wicklow; when the service is due to commence; the details of the schedule; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69949/25]
View answerAs Minister of State at the Department of Transport with special responsibility for Rural Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to rural public transport service provision; however, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations.
The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally. In light of the NTA responsibilities 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.
262. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Transport his plans to revisit proposals for a Leinster outer orbital route in light of increasing congestion on the M50; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69951/25]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for overall policy and exchequer funding in relation to the National Roads Programme. Under the Roads Acts 1993-2015 and in line with the National Development Plan (NDP), the planning, design and construction of individual national roads is a matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), in conjunction with the local authorities concerned. This is also subject to the Infrastructure Guidelines and the necessary statutory approvals.
The National Transport Authority's (NTA) Greater Dublin Area Strategy does not envisage the progression of a Leinster Orbital Route in it's original form.
However, it proposed the provision of offline improvements in the existing road network to cater for orbital demand. It is important to point out that it is for the relevant local authorities, in the first instance, to engage with TII regarding the progression of any proposed national road project. All projects, including those listed in the NDP or any revision to the NDP, require statutory approval and compliance with the Infrastructure Guidelines.
Noting the above position, I have referred your question to TII for a direct reply regarding the development of improvements to the national road network which may facilitate orbital traffic. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.
263. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Transport whether contributions from the State or from employers towards the My Future Fund pension scheme will be reckonable as income for the purposes of assessing the eligibility of an individual or household for any means-tested services or schemes operated by his Department. [70030/25]
View answerThe Department of Transport does not currently operate any services or schemes with a means testing component which would fall under the category of this question.
264. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Transport when improvements will be made to the E1 bus service serving the Northwood area of Dublin 9, given persistent reliability issues, including repeated no-show or ghost buses and extended gaps in service despite the route being scheduled to operate every ten minutes; if he will engage with the National Transport Authority regarding these failures; and if he will ensure that measures are put in place without delay in order that commuters in Northwood receive a consistent and dependable service as originally planned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70035/25]
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. As Minister for Transport I continue to engage with the NTA on an ongoing basis in relation to maintaining high operational standards on all forms of public transport.
The query raised by the Deputy is an operational matter for Dublin Bus. I have, therefore, referred the Deputy's question to the company for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
265. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Transport if he will report on the public transport fleet of buses, including Bus Éireann, Dublin Bus and a company (details supplied); the number of buses overall that are hybrid and electric powered, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70105/25]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for the planning and development of public transport infrastructure, including the provision and upgrade of public bus fleets.
As the Deputy may be aware, the Government is committed to the decarbonisation of the public transport sector in line with the Climate Action Plan. No new diesel-only buses have been purchased for urban public service obligation bus fleets since July 2019, as set out in the National Development Plan 2018-2027. The transition to a zero-emission urban bus fleet is currently programmed to take up until 2035, based on replacement of non-zero-emission buses as they reach the end of their efficient service lives.
Electric buses produce no emissions and offer reduced interior and exterior noise levels compared to diesel buses. This transition to electric buses will result in cleaner air and less noise pollution in areas where the buses are operating, while also providing a quieter journey for passengers. Electric buses are currently rolling out across Ireland in areas such as Dublin, Limerick and Athlone.
Noting the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's question to the NTA for a direct reply. Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.
266. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Transport the position regarding the number of public transport vehicles in operation that are powered by a hydrogen fuel cell; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70106/25]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for the planning and development of public transport infrastructure, including the provision and upgrade of public bus fleets.
Noting the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's question to the NTA for a direct reply. Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.
267. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Transport the position regarding the number of electric powered buses operated by Dublin Bus; the number and location of charging points in use by Dublin Bus, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70107/25]
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 query raised by the Deputy is an operational matter for Dublin Bus. I have, therefore, referred the Deputy's question to the company for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
268. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Transport if he is satisfied there are a sufficient number of hybrid and electric powered business in operation in Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70108/25]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for the planning and development of public transport infrastructure, including the provision and upgrade of public bus fleets.
As the Deputy may be aware, the Government is committed to the decarbonisation of the public transport sector in line with the Climate Action Plan. No new diesel-only buses have been purchased for urban public service obligation bus fleets since July 2019, as set out in the National Development Plan 2018-2027. The transition to a zero-emission urban bus fleet is currently programmed to take up until 2035, based on replacement of non-zero-emission buses as they reach the end of their efficient service lives.
Electric buses produce no emissions and offer reduced interior and exterior noise levels compared to diesel buses. This transition to electric buses will result in cleaner air and less noise pollution in areas where the buses are operating, while also providing a quieter journey for passengers. Electric buses are currently rolling out across Ireland in areas such as Dublin, Limerick and Athlone.
Noting the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's question to the NTA for a direct reply. Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 working days.
269. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Transport the way in which his Department collaborates with colleagues in Northern Ireland regarding the testing that takes place within the Northern Ireland MOT and Irish NCT to ensure full safety and quality of vehicles; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70111/25]
View answerUnder EU law, Ireland, like other Member States, is obliged to adhere to the minimum specified technical standards and intervals for carrying out periodic roadworthiness inspections on motor vehicles and the National Car Test (NCT) is operated in line with the requirements of EU Directive 2014/45/EU. This is given effect in Irish law by means of the Road Traffic (National Car Test) Regulations 2017 (SI 415 of 2017), as amended.
Vehicle roadworthiness standards in the UK are a matter for UK and Northern Ireland authorities. It should be noted that vehicles imported from Northern Ireland and re-registered in Ireland are treated the same way as any other Irish registered vehicle. The vehicle must pay annual motor tax, if it is using the public roads, must have valid insurance and must pass the NCT test if the car is over four years old.
270. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Transport the way in which his Department ensures vehicle safety testing is up to standard comparative to testing procedures to ensure testing throughout the country is being fully adhered to; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70112/25]
View answer271. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Transport the frequency with which the standard of the national car test is reviewed to ensure vehicles are meeting required safety standards on roads; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70113/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 270 and 271 together.
Standards for periodic roadworthiness tests are regulated for at EU level. The Road Safety Authority has statutory responsibility and oversight for NCT and CVRT testing in the State, and carries out independent inspections of NCT and CVRT test centres. I have therefore referred the Deputy's query to the Authority for direct reply.
I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response with the information requested has not been received within ten days.
It should be noted (EU) 2014/45 on periodic roadworthiness tests for motor vehicles and their trailers is currently being reviewed at EU Level. Further information on these proposed revisions can be found https://transport.ec.europa.eu/news-events/news/updated-rules-safer-roads-less-air-pollution-and-digital-vehicle-documents-2025-04-24_en
272. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Transport the way in which his Department ensures all departmental agencies such as the National Transport Authority, National Car Test and Northern Irish counterparts ensure their service to citizens and road users are in full compliance under EU directives; the length of time for these services to reply to road users; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70114/25]
View answerWhere a state agency is has been assigned with ensuring Ireland's compliance with some aspect of EU law, implementation of that responsibility sits with the relevant agency in the first instance. My Department exercises an agency corporate governance and oversight role in line with the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies. Noting the two specific examples cited in the Deputy's query, I have referred the question to the Road Safety Authority and National Transport Authority for a more detailed response in respect of their EU obligations. Please contact my office if a response is not received within ten days.
Neither I nor my Department have an oversight function in respect of Northern Irish agencies.
273. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Transport for an update on the development of the Cork Southern Distributor Link Multi-modal Route. [70132/25]
View answerAs Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for overall policy and exchequer funding in relation to the roads programmes and public transport.
The National Transport Authority (NTA) has responsibility for the planning and development of public transport infrastructure.
Noting the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's specific question to the NTA for a more direct reply. Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 days.
