Vol. 482 No. 6
95 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Public Enterprise the steps, if any, she is taking to ensure integration between rail, bus and DART services, including ticketing arrangements between the different elements of the overall State transport operations. [18537/97]
The overall plan proposed by DTI and accepted by Government is for a fully integrated system involving light rail, DART and quality bus corridors, with effective interchange facilities and an integrated fare structure and ticketing system.
Every opportunity to increase the level of service integration will be encouraged where it is feasible to do so, where resources permit and where it represents the best value for money in overall transportation terms.
While many of the integration issues are day to day operational matters for the companies involved, the strategic integration issues will be taken into account by my Department when considering any development proposals. Included in the £17 million package of DART and suburban rail investment approved in 1996 under the Operational Programme for Transport 1994-1999 were funding allocations for two important integration items — park and ride along the DART corridor and integrated transport ticketing across all modes.
CIE has commissioned a consultancy study on the implementation of integrated ticketing, which is expected to be completed shortly.
