Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy has the answer, in that a very severe fine was levied. Public transport is not disimproving. We need to ensure punctuality. We have a growing population. There are developments all over the country that need to be serviced by the bus network. This year, €658 million has been provided for the PSO, up from €613 million the year before.

We have seen a significant reduction in public transport fares. I will extend free fares to five- to eight-year-olds, a measure brought forward by the previous Minister. We will also look at how we can further improve the offering. People are responding. There were record passenger numbers last year and this year we must work hard to ensure they increase further. There were issues with that particular operator on certain routes. I raised those issues publicly and met representatives of the NTA. The Deputy said the contract should not have been awarded. Should the NTA cancel a contract on an existing service? What impact would that have on the road users or bus users in the area in question?

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