John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)

I know a contract was awarded to Go-Ahead back in 2018 for five years, with the possibility of extending it. It was extended by a further two years. I know there were substantial penalties imposed on Go-Ahead. Could we get a breakdown of the penalties year on year not just for Go-Ahead but also for all the private operators, and indeed Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus?

The issue of concern for me is the delivery of the service by Go-Ahead. I have spoken to colleagues not just in Wicklow but also across the network where Go-Ahead operates. From the get-go, there have been many issues. We have had many excuses for the failure to provide a service that works. I have seen some of the financial penalties imposed but the issue of primary concern is that the contract expired and a new contract has been entered into. That was awarded to Go-Ahead in July. I think it came into force at the end of October. Consider the volume of concerns that continue to this day over the delivery of that service by Go-Ahead. Only yesterday, I had numerous complaints about buses not showing up, ghost buses and buses disappearing from the system. Any time I raise this with the NTA and Go-Ahead, there are similar excuses.

On the monitoring by the Department, I would be interested in getting data on how much has been spent on the delivery of the services by private operators, the failure to adhere to the contracts that are in place, the quality performance indicators and all the other metrics used. Despite all the failures, how is it that contracts continue to be awarded where there is poor delivery of services?