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

I thank Deputy Ward. I am aware that capacity pinch points are being experienced on certain bus routes across the public transport network, including on the C spine route from Lucan. I fully acknowledge that these issues can be incredibly frustrating for public transport users, in particular if they are left waiting at bus stops for prolonged periods due to full buses operating on the route. I assure the Deputy that this Government is firmly committed to improving public transport across the country, including through improvements in the frequency and reliability of service provision. That commitment is demonstrated across the significant service and infrastructure investments in recent years, as well as the various fare initiatives that have been introduced.

As Deputies know, BusConnects is a transformative plan to improve and expand bus services in all of our major cities. The programme is initially being rolled out in Dublin, followed by Cork and Galway and then Limerick and Waterford. Phase 2 of the BusConnects network redesign was originally launched on 28 November 2021 in west Dublin and east Kildare and included the introduction of the C spine.

I understand that additional capacity was added to routes C3 and C4 in late 2023 and that the National Transport Authority, NTA, is currently engaging with Dublin Bus on a review of the service requirements on C1 and C2. I further understand that the NTA hopes to introduce additional capacity on the C spine later this year, which should help to alleviate the issues currently being experienced on the service. While these capacity challenges are issues we must address, it also reflects the strong demand for high-quality frequent public transport that exists among the community. Projects such as BusConnects are vital if we are to meet that demand and I look forward to the Deputy’s support in its continued implementation in the coming years.

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