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

I take the opportunity to wish the Ceann Comhairle and the Minister of State all the best in their respective roles going forward. I wish them every success.

We are discussing road safety today. One of the most efficient ways of reducing road accidents is to reduce the number of cars on the road but to do this you have to have an adequate, properly-funded and reliable public transport system in place. I have had many commuters in my area contact me about unreliable bus services in the area. The main culprits, and the Minister of State probably heard it all over the news in the past week or so, is Go-Ahead bus services.

Go-Ahead is a private operate providing a public service. It is clear that this model is not working. The W2 bus runs from Liffey Valley, through Neilstown and Clondalkin village and ends up in Tallaght. This is the only bus that runs from Clondalkin to Tallaght. Many commuters and residents have been on to me who have missed work or been late for work but, more concerning, I have had numbers of people contact me that they have missed vital appointments in Tallaght hospital and lectures in Tallaght University Hospital. We also have some unreliability issues with the W4, which is leaving residents of Fettercairn stranded.

I received the following communication from the NTA in November about the W6, which is also a Go-Ahead service. It stated, "the W6 will provide a more efficient and reliable travel option for commuters, improving access to jobs, education, and other services ...". That sounds great on paper but the reality is much different. Countless numbers of residents from Newcastle have contacted me to say the W6 was simply not showing up. There is nothing efficient and reliable about the W6. The NTA needs to fulfil its promise. It also needs to be accountable for the promise that it made but the Fianna Fáil Minister also needs to be accountable and make sure the NTA is accountable as well. The Government is trying to get people out of cars but it will not happen by magic. It needs to have that proper public infrastructure in place.

I have also been made aware of other problems on Go-Ahead routes in my area, including the S4, the S6 and the L55. It is simply not good enough.

Privatisation of our public services is not working. It has not worked in water or waste management and is simply not working in public transport. As the Minister of State will be aware, Go-Ahead has been fined millions of euro but it has not been a deterrent to it because it has been carrying on regardless. I should not say it has been carrying on, because it is not going anywhere at the moment. It is time to return private buses to public transport. It is also time to properly invest in public transport.

I am always bemused when I hear Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael TDs from my area say they will arrange meetings with the NTA and the relevant Ministers. I would say to them, "You are in government." I ask them to use their positions in government to influence the parties to change their positions and return public transport from private operators because that is the only way things will work and commuters will get the service they require.

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