Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)

Deputy O'Dowd may have inadvertently misled the House when he referred to a private company. I understand that a large part of the fleet in question is engaged in coach work and other tasks in hand and that the services it no longer fulfils were in addition to its core business.

Obviously, the 4% decline is disappointing. Does the Minister, who mentioned the network, envisage that the frequency and reliability of services could be increased? When operating a major public transport system, a major problem arises in respect of what to do with the fleet during off-peak hours. People have asked questions on this subject, which affects both private and public fleets. How does one cope during off-peak hours? Has the Department made proposals in this regard? I refer to ways to increase the usage of the fleets, particularly in urban areas.

See this speech in context