Ms Andrea Keane:

I am happy to outline the programmes in place within Dublin Bus. Dublin Bus is always aware that we share the road space with a number of vulnerable road users, including cyclists. Cyclist safety is of paramount importance to us. It forms a crucial part of our driver training process. The drivers receive comprehensive classroom and on-bus training as part of their initial induction programme with Dublin Bus. This includes a strong focus on all vulnerable road users. We have also responded to new technology as it becomes available and have introduced an integrated innovative virtual reality technology that simulates the cycling experience for our drivers. This was intended to deliver a better understanding of the challenges facing cyclists. It was very well received within our training programme and is an important part of the course.

The issue of cyclist safety is also dealt with comprehensively as part of mandatory refresher training for all drivers, which takes place every two years, and drivers receive an annual certificate in professional competence, CPC, every year.

There are a number of training programmes we go through, and I would stress that the practical element includes an on-the-road assessment of driving style, where drivers are assessed against a standard set of core skills using the company's vigil vanguard driver training system. The core skills reflect a variety of important messages in relation to cyclist safety. This is a crucial part of the driver training programme. Drivers also receive updated handbooks, and information posters are displayed where there are legislative or other changes during periods between training. We also have a training video, which further increases driver awareness around cyclist safety, awareness around other road users and other sorts of changed conditions. They are just some of the measures on the training side that I would like to outline.

I would like to address the second part of the question, if I have time, relating to the complaints system. We take any complaints very seriously. They are thoroughly investigated within Dublin Bus and corrective action is introduced. That might include refresher training if something has come up in relation to a particular driver or if road conditions have changed at a particular junction. That is introduced into the programme.

To give some context, which may be useful, we operate around 7,000 trips per day. We carry 120 million journeys every year post Covid and we monitor the incidence of cyclist issues very carefully. Sixty-eight incidents have taken place so far in 2022, but I would stress that they include both collisions and incidents involving a cyclist. They could range from an altercation to a cyclist falling off and causing a driver to brake harshly. There may not necessarily have been any interaction. All of these issues are recorded regardless of blame or culpability with the intention of learning and improving from all of them.

I also make the point that under our direct award contract with the National Transport Authority, NTA, we are required to report all of these issues to the NTA. We also have our own safety board subcommittee within Dublin Bus which takes all of these issues very seriously. It is a formal subcommittee of the board and we report not only internally but also to the board on these issues.