Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 14 February 2024
90. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Transport his plans for the future expansion of Dublin Bus, in view of the need to encourage more people to use public transport and to ensure that the bus service is reliable and frequent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6784/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government is strongly committed to providing all citizens with reliable and realistic sustainable mobility options, and public transport plays a key role in the delivery of this goal.
To support this objective, under Budget 2024, a funding package of c. €613.463m has been secured for Public Service Obligation (PSO) and Local Link services. This package includes funding for the continuation of the 20% fare reduction on PSO services, the extension of the Young Adult Card on both PSO and commercial bus services to include 24-and-25-year-olds, and the continuation of the 90-minute fare until the end of 2024. Funding has also been secured to support the continued roll-out of new and enhanced bus and rail services this year, including the continued roll-out of the BusConnects programme in our cities, which Dublin Bus services in the Greater Dublin Area.
The statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally rests with the National Transport Authority (NTA). The NTA works with the public transport operators, who deliver the services and have responsibility for day-to-day operational matters. As such, I referred the Deputy's query regarding service reliability and frequency to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.
