Mr. Ray Coyne:

I will take the questions as they were raised. There were a couple of key drivers in the decision made last year to abolish the city centre fare. One was the value of the Leap card. The city centre fare was not there when the card was introduced and that gives significant value to our customers, with discounts for more than 25% versus cash fares. There is capping as well and many free journeys are gained by regular users. The rationale, therefore, for a city centre fare is significantly diminished.

We have also embarked with the NTA over the past five years on a fare simplification programme with a view to the long term. We are improving services and making it easier for customers to understand. The complexity of fares was a significant barrier and we set out on a programme of reducing complexity and removing the city centre fare was part of that. The final issue in this regard is the removal of the ten buses. Mr. O'Brien addressed that in terms of the expected improvements but some of the changes - northwards of 30% on some alignments - will be monitored over the coming weeks but we expect to see similar improvements.

I do not have the specifics on the 40L route. We have a planning framework for new services. The proposal is moving along through the framework with the NTA and, therefore, I am not at liberty to give the final alignment.

The frequency is in or around a 30-minute headway, which would be matching in with the Broombridge Luas end. As for marketing, we will be lending our expertise to the National Transport Authority, NTA, to do that. We have a significant team in our marketing department that has significant knowledge and expertise in the direct marketing of bus routes, and we use a lot of social media in that area. It has proven to be successful in the past and we will make sure that is done in this area as well.

The College Green area was raised a number of times and it has been discussed for many years. It is a key area of Dublin city. It is a transit corridor. My predecessors 20 years ago were probably arguing the same point I am arguing, namely, that it is a transit corridor in Dublin city, people are transported to that area and they then disperse. Not everybody travelling into the city gets off a bus at College Green and has a two-minute walk to their office or to the retail store or leisure facility to which they wish to go. They may have significant walk distances. If the College Green bus gate was removed, the walk distances involved for commuters could be excessive. The Trinity College area was mentioned. The next access point would be a long way down Westland Row and if people want to get to Grafton Street, Nassau Street, Stephen's Green North and such areas, it can be a long distance to walk.

Dublin Bus has been engaged in planning with Dublin City Council and the NTA. As was rightly stated, we knew this was coming down the tracks. In 2011, Dublin Bus implemented the largest network redesign in Europe. Some Deputies may recall that at that time we removed on-street termini from the city centre. If we consider the Luas alignment that is in place now and the previous termini for bus routes in the city centre, it is what it is. Parnell Street West, Parnell Street East, Parnell Street North, Marlborough Street, Hawkins Street, Pearse Street, Fleet Street and Aston Quay used to be bus termini but they are no longer are. That was done in 2011. The reason it was done then was that we were undertaking the largest network review in Europe and we said we would plan for the future and the Luas cross city project was to happen. We thought there was no point in coming back in 2017 and being asked that as we knew this was happening, why did we not make the changes? Consequently, we made those changes. The network we have today is totally different from what was there previously.

The College Green bus gate is the single biggest benefit to bus users in the city over the past 20 years. There are complementary bus lanes throughout the city which are welcome, but that bus gate is a massive boost to public transport. I commend the councillors at the time on implementing that bus gate. Many bus lanes operate from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. during which time priority is given to buses but that period needs to be extended. We need to get more people using buses. Bus lanes giving buses priority need to operate for a longer period. The College Green bus gate facilitated a network review and our growth of having up to 139 million customers.

We need bus priority, reliability, punctual consistent journey times and to bring customers where they want to go. It is not where the bus wants to go but where customers want to go. If we can get that working in our city centre, that would be brilliant. We need to realign our services around that. However, at this point in time there are not many alternatives. That is why it is such a complex area. We discuss this with Dublin City Council and the NTA and we have not been found wanting in our readiness to adjust our services. In January we adjusted 17 services and we will adjust ten services on 5 March. We will monitor that and if there are further requirements, we will do what is best for our customers but also what is best for the city. We are so vital to the economic vibrancy of the city that we need to make sure that is maintained. We do not want a city where buses can all the priority in the world but nobody is travelling into the city on the buses because the shops are closing. We are very conscious of our role in ensuring that the economy in Dublin city is vibrant and continues to progress. The College Green bus gate has been in place for 20 years because it is such a key area in the city and the confines around it. We in Dublin Bus have shown our willingness to move and preplan, which we have done during the last eight years, and we will continue to do that bearing in mind the interests of our customers, the city and all our stakeholders.