Ann Graves
Question:367. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Transport if he will contact a company in relation to issues on a bus route (details supplied) [4321/26]
View answerTuesday, 20 January 2026
Questions (367)
Written answers
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, in this case Go Ahead.
In terms of the performance of public transport operators, this 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.
On reliability and frequency, the NTA acknowledge there have been challenges - often due to traffic congestion, driver or mechanic shortages, or unforeseen incidents. My Department is working closely with the NTA to try to address these issues through initiatives such as the previously mentioned Public Transport Workforce Taskforce which aims to address recruitment challenges for drivers and mechanics; and planned improvements to the vehicle location system under Next Generation AVL, which will enhance the accuracy of real-time passenger information.
We remain fully committed to building on these positive changes and delivering a public transport system that is reliable, accessible, and affordable for everyone
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.
A referred reply was forwarded to the Deputy under Standing Orders.