Michael Murphy (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)

I thank all the witnesses for their opening statements. We are looking forward to a constructive discussion. Today, we want to explore progress, the challenges in expanding rural bus connectivity and the need to ensure value for money, maintain fair competition and address the growing demand for sustainable transport options in rural areas. Of course, we also want to examine experiences on the ground regarding service reliability, driver shortages, funding pressures and accessibility. These are all areas that we would like to explore today.

The first member to contribute will be Senator Cosgrove, who has seven minutes, and she is to be followed by Senators Duffy and Collins. Members with questions should be clear about which witnesses they want to answer.