Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

As the House knows, the Covid-19 health emergency has had a profound impact on the public transport sector since March. We all recognise that the continued operation of the public transport sector is important, which is why it has been designated among the essential services that have carried on throughout the crisis.

The Government is committed to ensuring that essential transport services and passengers utilising these services are protected and supported. I assure the Deputy that public health advice has closely guided the introduction of measures across the public transport system to improve journey safety for the passengers, including people travelling to work to provide front-line and other essential services, and for the transport staff who operate the services. I again take the opportunity to thank public transport operators and their staff for their commitment in providing this vital service in these challenging times.

The measures taken to enable the continued operation of services more safely during the pandemic include enhanced cleaning regimes and social distancing measures across the network. Social distancing is currently supported through the reductions in the number of passengers that the buses and trains can carry during the various risk levels under the Government's living with Covid plan.

The safety measures also include the regulations requiring the mandatory wearing of face coverings on public transport, which came into effect on Monday, 13 July, and were recently extended to June 2021. These regulations require passengers, with some exceptions, to wear face coverings while utilising public transport giving additional protection to both passengers and transport staff.

The regulations are implementable by a relevant person who is defined as any officer, employee or agent of a public transport operator or of the National Transport Authority, NTA. A relevant person implementing the regulations can seek the assistance of An Garda Síochána where needed. Where a passenger is not wearing a face covering, a relevant person under the regulations may request the passenger to wear a face covering, refuse the passenger entry to the public transport vehicle or request the passenger to alight from the vehicle. Failure to comply is an offence and there are penalties on summary conviction for non-compliance.

In excess of 95% of passengers are wearing masks. Compliance is very high across all public transport operators. This has worked and is working. We want to ensure it continues to work.

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