Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 May 2023
198. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Transport if he will provide details of the rural transport programme, including the cost of the programme and the annual capital investment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23799/23]
View answerMy Department is strongly committed to improving public transport services in rural areas and to piloting new transport initiatives for people of all ages and abilities living there.
My Department and the National Transport Authority (NTA) are supporting this by providing increased funding for enhancing TFI Local Link services, for both regular "timetabled" services, and "door-to-door" demand responsive transport (DRT) services as well. There has been a substantial increase in funding allocated for TFI Local Link services since 2016, going from €12.2 million in 2016 to €43m in 2023.
The additional funding has enabled the introduction of over 100 new Rural Regular Service routes, as well as improvements to DRT services. The new Rural Regular Services operate at least five times per day over a 5,6,7 days per week schedule. They are specifically designed to ensure connectivity with other public transport services and better linkage of services between and within towns and villages. Additionally, we will also be exploring the expansion of non-conventional modes of transport to give the public a well-rounded transport offering. The total TFI Local Link Rural Transport Programme capital allocation for 2023 is €1.325million.
In addition to the Rural Transport Programme funding, there is also c. €12m of a current and capital allocation in place to support the continued roll-out and expansion of the Connecting Ireland and New Town Services programme.
