Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Creegan.

As regards bus shelters, I suppose the NTA has been saying the exact same thing we all have been saying - is it ever going to stop? We have had rain non-stop for months. How do you get bus shelters? Under BusConnects, people are going to be told they have to get off and wait, to use that as an example. People cannot be told they have to bring their umbrellas with them. The service must be provided. Can the NTA give us some sort of note on how to get bus shelters? They are absolutely essential if people are going to be moved between different routes and things are going to be connected up.

As for bus stops, what the NTA has described here is different from the experience when BusConnects was installed. I appreciate what the witnesses said about going to the local authority, which is the body that determines the type of bus stops and where they can be located and all the rest of it, but when BusConnects was installed, for example, lines and square boxes were painted on the road. There were no pull-in bays. A bus stop was stuck in and suddenly, hey presto, there are bus stops all over the place. Why is it different for BusConnects? Why is the system different?