Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his response. I will have to compare the information I received from the NTA with what he just said. In 2022, more than €2.85 million in fines were incurred by Dublin Bus and Go-Ahead - €1.642 million for Dublin Bus and €1.212 million for Go-Ahead. In 2021, their total €1.134 million in fines comprised €697,000 for Dublin Bus and €437,000 for Go-Ahead. Despite Go-Ahead only having 10% of bus routes in Dublin, it amassed 42.5% of fines in 2022 for failures in punctuality, reliability and service provision. In 2021, it accounted for 38% of fines. There was an increase of 152% in the total fines incurred by Dublin Bus and Go-Ahead between 2021 and 2022. The Minister has to admit that the situation is getting worse. Does he agree that the privatisation of our bus services has failed the consumer, and what is he going to do to buck this trend?

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