Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 26 February 2026
144. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Transport his plans to improve bus route coverage, frequency and reliability in outer urban and suburban areas; and the way his Department is ensuring that route planning and service levels reflect population growth and commuting needs in communities in north Dublin. [15480/26]
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.
The NTA also closely monitors the performance of all public transport operators as part of the contractual arrangements in place between it and the operators. The NTA's contracts with public transport operators have been strengthened in recent years, to incentivise operators to operate more reliable and punctual services, and they are also investing in a new vehicle location system for the fleet which will improve the reliability of the real time passenger information system.
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.
