Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this important topic, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy Ryan. I will clarify that the Minister for Transport has responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport but neither the Minister nor his officials are involved in the day-to-day operation of public transport services.

The statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services rests nationally with the National Transport Authority, NTA. The NTA works with the public transport operators that deliver the services and have responsibility for day-to-day operational matters. That said, I reassure the Deputy that the Government is strongly committed to providing all citizens with reliable and realistic sustainable mobility options, and public transport plays a key role in the delivery of this goal. To support this objective, in budget 2023, the Department of Transport secured €563.55 million in funding for public service obligation, PSO, and Transport for Ireland, TFI, Local Link services, which is up from €538 million in 2022.

It is also important to note that while the majority of public transport in Ireland is indeed provided by the publicly subvented bus and rail services funded through the NTA’s public service obligation programme, the public transport system also includes a significant number of non-subvented bus services operated on a commercial basis by bus and coach businesses of varying size. Unfortunately, the Deputy's question on capacity issues on public transport between Youghal and Midleton train station in County Cork does not specify whether the bus services in question pertain to Bus Éireann’s PSO route 260 or their commercial Expressway route 40, so I will speak to both.

As the Deputy will be aware, as part of its commercial Expressway business, Bus Éireann operates up to 13 daily services from Youghal to Midleton on route 40. I understand Bus Éireann has advised that the average occupancy on its services from Youghal to Midleton this month has been 22 passengers on vehicles that have a maximum capacity of 53 passengers. In terms of reaching capacity, Bus Éireann has further advised that nine out of its 248 scheduled services from Youghal to Midleton this September have reached capacity. The company encourages customers to book online for the best available fares and to guarantee a seat on their preferred service. The Deputy will appreciate that Expressway, like all other commercial businesses, is responsible for managing its own resources in respect of its commercial services.

Bus Éireann also operates the route 260 Cork to Ardmore via Youghal PSO service, which provides eight weekday services between Youghal and Cork, with six of these serving Midleton. Under the terms of the contract between the NTA and Bus Éireann, there are specific requirements for Bus Éireann’s services along this route regarding routing, scheduling, fleet utilisation and fares. Any issues regarding capacity on the service is an operational matter for the NTA in conjunction with Bus Éireann. Any decisions regarding changes to timetabling and frequency of service on the route are determined by the NTA and subsequently implemented by Bus Éireann in conjunction with the authority.

Notwithstanding the above, I reassure the Deputy that the Government is strongly committed to providing all citizens, including students, with reliable and realistic transport options. The roll-out of projects such as BusConnects, Connecting lreland, and new town services are among the improvements we are making to achieve our ambitious goals for the sector. I also reassure the Deputy that the Department of Transport, the NTA and our operators are working to ensure the optimised deployment of resources to match changing demand patterns. Where increased passenger demand was evident during the 2022-23 academic year, for example, on several Limerick city, Cork city and commuter and Dublin commuter services, the NTA is working with operators to improve capacity on these routes. With continued investment in public transport services, we can build a more efficient network that provides viable travel options for all, and the Government remains committed to this goal.

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