Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

We will wait for proposals to come forward but I am not averse to it. The immediate requirement, however, as indicated by Dublin Bus network planning, was for 100 buses, which it has now received. It is often forgotten by people looking purely at the numbers in the present fleet that the capacity has increased by 40%, owing to a change in the type of buses the company uses. One cannot simply compare numbers with numbers — capacity is important.

I agree, as I set out in Transport 21, that the bus market and the role of the bus fleet in the public transport network is fundamental and crucial to the delivery of public transport, not just in Dublin but around the country. That is why I am providing such substantial moneys through Transport 21 for both Dublin and the rural market. I have also met Bus Éireann's requirement for 160 new buses.

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