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

BusConnects is a transformative programme of investment in the bus system, providing better bus services, not only in Dublin but also in Cork, Galway, Waterford and Limerick. It is the largest investment in the bus system in the history of the State, and is managed by the National Transport Authority, NTA.

In Dublin, the major infrastructure element of BusConnects comprises 12 core bus corridor schemes. These corridors aim to provide more than 200 km of enhanced walking, cycling and bus route infrastructure in the Dublin region. I am pleased that An Bord Pleanála recently granted planning permission for two of the corridors - the Clongriffin and Liffey Valley schemes - and hope that construction can start on those in the near future.

Meanwhile, new bus services in Dublin are already being delivered with the E-spine and inner-city orbitals planned to go live this year.

In Cork, following a public consultation, the new BusConnects network was published in June 2022, and it aims to provide an increase of more than 50% in bus services across the city.

Similarly, BusConnects Galway will provide a major enhancement to the bus system there. Key elements are currently under development, namely the cross-city link project and the Dublin Road scheme. The Salmon Weir pedestrian-cycling bridge was officially opened to the public last May. The bus network design was finalised last December following a public consultation, and it will provide improved services, including in Bearna and Oranmore.

Following public consultation, the NTA published the final redesigned bus network for Limerick last December, which will also result in a better bus service for the city in the years ahead. Workshops on the redesign of the city bus network for Waterford are complete. The new network will be published for public consultation by the end of the second quarter of this year, with the final network to be published in the fourth quarter.

The NTA has responsibility for the scheduling of BusConnects services and will review timetables to help ensure proper integration between various transport modes. Overall, BusConnects will transform bus services in our cities, allowing passengers to travel more conveniently, quickly and sustainably, and I look forward to its full implementation.

I also look forward to hearing more details. I did not quite understand the concern the Deputy outlined, so he might elucidate that.

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