Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will have to provide the Deputy with the exact figures but they will not be difficult to provide. I will be able to provide him with some of them immediately. Against the backdrop of growth in demand for bus services, 140 new buses are being purchased in 2018 for the Dublin Bus fleet to replace older buses and to cater for market growth and new routes, with a further expansion of the fleet expected in 2019 in advance of the roll-out of BusConnects. Passengers will also experience service improvements following the recently announced opening of the bus market with an increase in service capacity of approximately 35% across the 24 routes involved.

I thank the Deputy for acknowledging the initiative which was taken this morning. It will do nothing short of revolutionise the bus service in Dublin. There is no doubt that the effect of the 16 new routes or roads which have been announced will be to transform what the Deputy recognises is a congested city and it will also have an equally beneficial effect on Cork, Galway and other areas. This is only one of several initiatives I could identify. The Deputy will be aware that later this year an all-day ten-minute DART service will be introduced across all lines.

Planning for the delivery of the DART expansion programme has already commenced, including in 2018.

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