Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Ó Cathasaigh for raising this important topic, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan. As the Deputy will be aware, while the majority of public transport in Ireland is provided by the publicly-subvented bus and rail services funded through NTA's public service obligation, PSO, programme, the public transport system also includes non-subvented bus services provided on a commercial basis by bus and coach businesses of varying size. I understand the Deputy's question concerns the impact on the people of Dunmore East, Portlaw and Passage East in County Waterford of the recent decision by one such commercial bus operator, Suirway, to cease operating its services in the area.

I advise the Deputy that the decision taken by Suirway to withdraw its commuter services in east Waterford, including in Dunmore East, Portlaw and Passage East, at the end of October, is a commercial decision for the company. The Deputy will appreciate that Suirway, like all other commercial businesses, is responsible for managing its own resources in respect of its commercial services. It is my understanding that Suirway has taken the decision to withdraw these services following a prolonged period of difficult trading. The Deputy eloquently outlined the history of the company in the area and the difficulties it has been facing. He will also be aware that the Covid-19 pandemic had a profound impact on the public transport sector. This impact has been mitigated by several Government decisions over the last two years. In particular, these include the decision to substantially increase the 2020, 2021 and 2022 budgets for the existing PSO system and to introduce new, temporary financial support for non-PSO licensed services provided by commercial bus operators in June 2020. In acknowledgment of the difficulties facing the sector, these supports for the commercial sector were extended several times over the past two years, most recently up to 30 June 2022.

Despite these and other wider Governmental supports, trading conditions remain challenging, with passenger numbers remaining below pre-pandemic levels in many areas and the associated fare revenue having yet to rebound fully. An unfortunate consequence of these challenging conditions is that some commercial operators, such as Suirway, are deciding to leave the market. I advise the Deputy that the NTA, which has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally by way of public transport services contracts and for the allocation of associated funding to the relevant transport operators, will assess whether Suirway's decision to withdraw its services in Dunmore East, Portlaw and Passage East at the end of next month will give rise to any loss of connectivity in the area. The NTA will also consider whether there is a need to provide additional PSO services in the affected areas.

I reassure the Deputy that the NTA has advised that this matter is a high priority for it and that it will advise the Department of its findings as soon as its review process is complete. I also assure the Deputy that the Government is committed to ensuring essential transport services are protected and supported. Services providing vital regional and rural connections will continue to operate if a loss of connectivity is identified, and a replacement service will be put in place. A key Government objective is to provide all citizens with reliable and realistic sustainable mobility options and public transport plays a key role in the delivery of this goal.

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