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 responsibility for the provision of public transport services nationally and for the regulation of fares charged to passengers in respect of public transport services provided under public service obligation (PSO) contracts.
Licensed bus and coach operators are an integral part of the overall public transport system, particularly in areas around the country which are not covered by existing public service bus and rail services. In recognition of the important role these operators play, the Government provided temporary financial supports throughout the Covid-19 pandemic for certain licensed commercial services, with a view to protecting capacity across the public transport sector throughout the crisis. These supports were extended up to the 30th of June 2022 with c. €65m provided to support the Commercial Bus Operators during this challenging time.
In view of the importance of incentivising young people to use public transport, as part of Budget 2022 I secured €25m of funding to provide for the introduction of a young adult card (YAC) which will allow any person nationwide who is between 19 and 23 years old, to avail of an entitlement for discounted travel costs, and to increase the level of discount over and above the current student discount to an average of discount of 50% across all services, including city, intercity and rural services.
The YAC was initially launched on PSO services on the 9th of May, and will be broadened to include commercial operators later this year, with the aim to have it in place before the recommencement of third level colleges. This will not only promote modal shift in the transport sector among this age group but should also contribute towards a reduced reliance on private transport with associated benefit of transport emission savings.
The time lag is due to the fact that it is technically more challenging to roll-out fare initiatives, such as the YAC, on the commercial bus network than it is on the LEAP enabled PSO network. An array of various ticketing equipment is in use on fleet used by the commercial operators and needs to be catered for. To expedite the process, the NTA has established a joint working group with commercial bus operators to consider options and develop a plan to implement the Young Adult Card in as timely a manner as possible.
In light of the NTA's responsibility for the provision of public transport services nationally, I have forwarded the Deputy's question in relation to the possible allocation of subvention to a private operator bus service where there is no public transport alternative, to the Authority for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.
