As Minister of State at the Department of Transport with special responsibility for Rural Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to rural public transport service provision; however, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations.
The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally including the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan. In this instance, the NTA can detail their engagement with the relevant local community and representative groups as referenced in the question. I have referred your question to the NTA for direct reply to you. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.