Mr. Graham Doyle:

In the past two years, Bus Éireann has contacted the NTA to explain the issues it was encountering in seeking to operate services along the X5 and X7 routes profitably or commercially and has had the nature of those routes changed. When it pulled away from those routes, the NTA was required to step back in to provide the PSO element. It is open to Bus Éireann to cease servicing a route, or to apply for a change in its licence to stop at different locations along the way. Commercial operators can do the same thing.