Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 June 2026
242. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Transport further to Parliamentary Question No. 478 of 9 June 2026, the number of PSO bus services that were identified as ‘not meeting the required standard’ in each of the years from 2023 to 2025 and to-date in 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46711/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs 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.
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.
Accordingly in instances where performance drops, financial penalties are rigorously applied unless the cause of the loss of performance is outside of the control of the operator. The NTA uses all the contractual and regulatory powers available to it to measure, report on and seek to maintain and improve standards across all PSO public transport services.
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.
