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 statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally and for the scheduling of these services in conjunction with the relevant transport operators.
In light of the Authority's responsibility in this area, I have forwarded the Deputy's specific question in relation to plans to have a direct Bus Éireann PSO route from Dublin to Clare in both directions via Offaly, to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response. within ten working days