Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 June 2026
165. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Transport the measures his Department have put in place to ensure that there is reliability and transparency on public transport bus routes such as the X27 and 120; the implications there are on the NTA when bus routes do not run correctly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44769/26]
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, in this case, Dublin Bus and Go Ahead.
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 regularly meets with each transport operator to review performance of the routes under contract with the NTA and agree necessary interventions aimed at improving performance, which are implemented subject to operational readiness and the availability of resources, including buses, drivers and funding.
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.
