Public Transport

Thursday, 30 April 2026

Questions (111)

Thomas Gould

Question:

111. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Transport the number of drivers currently employed under PSO routes in Cork city, and the number considered a full cohort. [31073/26]

View answer

Written answers

I believe Bus Éireann, alongside other PSO operators, remain in close discussions with the NTA regarding staffing requirements regionally, as the NTA hold statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally.

I understand that there are currently 558 drivers assigned to PSO routes in Cork City, which is approximately 15 drivers above the level required to operate the existing network. This indicates that a full cohort for current services is in the region of 540 to 545 drivers.

While this means the present network is being adequately resourced, that position must be viewed in the context of what the bus network in Cork now requires and what it is planned to become, for example, in preparation for BusConnects Cork and Cork Network Redesign. A surplus in drivers is necessary to ensure resilience in the system, including covering leave, retirements and normal turnover, and does not represent spare capacity for expansion.

Bus Éireann has indicated that it is continuing to recruit drivers through targeted campaigns and open days, and this sustained pipeline of new entrants will be essential if the staffing base is to match the ambition and capacity of the redesigned Cork network.

Delivering a network of the scale planned for the area will require a significantly larger driver workforce than is currently in place. In that context, the key issue is not simply maintaining current numbers, but ensuring that recruitment, training and retention are aligned with the needs of an expanded and more intensive public transport network. To support this effort and Programme for Government commitment, my Department will shortly be publishing the Public Transport Workforce Taskforce Action Plan, which contains a number of cross-Departmental and agency actions to address the systemic opportunities and challenges to ensure a fully resourced public transport workforce.