As per my previous response to Deputy on this specific issue I would like to clarify that 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.
However, I met with the National Transport Authority today. I’m pleased to say they are taking this very seriously and a detailed review is underway as to what happened over the last few weeks. They have assured me that additional resources with the bus operators are in place or are shortly going to be in place.
In light of the NTA's responsibility in this area, I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the Authority for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.