Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 July 2026
118. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Transport if he will instruct public transport operators to allow dogs on all scheduled bus, rail and light rail services; the steps his Department is taking to standardise pet travel policies across all public transport operators; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52774/26]
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 in conjunction with the relevant transport operators and for promoting the development of integrated, accessible public transport networks and infrastructure.
As the Deputy will be aware, the NTA launched a 4-week public consultation, closing 20th March 2026, on a proposed consolidated policy for the carriage of pets across the PSO network, including bus, rail and Luas services. The NTA is reviewing the feedback before finalising the policy.
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.
