Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 8 November 2022
178. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Transport if he will respond to a person (details supplied) who contacted this Deputy regarding transport needs in County Donegal to get to and from college; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54316/22]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, while the majority of public transport in Ireland is provided by the publicly-subvented bus and rail services funded through National Transport Authority's (NTA) public service obligation (PSO) programme, the public transport system also includes non-subvented bus services provided on a commercial basis by bus and coach businesses of varying size. Any decision taken by a private bus operator to withdraw its services is a commercial decision for the company.
The NTA, has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally by way of public transport services contracts, and for the allocation of associated funding to the relevant transport operators. When there is a withdrawal of services by an operator, the NTA undertakes an assessment as to whether the withdrawal will give rise to any loss of connectivity.
In light of the Authority'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 reply within ten working days.
