Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the Deputy is making these comments sincerely but if we were to do everything he said, Dublin Bus would not be sustainable. It is unfortunate that fares had to be increased modestly. The Network Direct project has been successful in many ways and I acknowledge people have issues with it. Nobody knows that better because they come to me as well. It was necessary to ensure from a financial point of view that Dublin Bus would be in a better position in the future. In some cases, many of the issues raised by resident groups around Dublin have been addressed and Dublin Bus has done a good job. The company is operating in a difficult environment and it is not always appropriate to make reference to the fact that routes have had to be cut or changes have had to be made. The company is doing so in the most modest way it can to ensure the least disruption and to ensure it can operate a service for the public in a positive way in the future. It will do that and it does an outstanding job.

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