Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)

On behalf of the Minister for Transport, Deputy O'Brien, who will deliver the closing remarks, and the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, I thank Deputy O'Gorman of the Independent and Parties Technical Group for the opportunity to speak in the Dáil on the public transport experience and our plans to deliver on the programme for Government commitments. I am confident we can all agree it is essential that the Government continue to invest in the public transport network and that we be supportive of the Government's commitment to deliver an accessible, affordable and reliable public transport network throughout the country. We are not opposing the motion that has been tabled. However, while the overall objective of the motion is broadly in line with the principles of the Government, there are some points within it that require clarification. Those points will be highlighted throughout the ministerial contributions.

On the fares initiative, as Deputies are aware and as outlined in the Programme for Government: Securing Ireland's Future, the Government is committed to keeping fares low and affordable. To support that objective, my Department has secured some €658 million in funding for public service obligation, PSO, and Local Link services this year. The package includes funding for the continuation of the various public transport fare reduction initiatives and the extension of free child fares on PSO services to five-to-eight-year-olds. Most recently, the NTA commenced implementation of a new fares strategy, which is making fares fairer and moving towards a distance-based system, with significant reductions for many travellers as a result. These measures are further enhancing affordability.

While keeping fares low is a priority in line with the programme for Government, factors such as frequency and reliability are equally important in attracting and retaining users. Therefore, funding for public transport services is focused on existing fare initiatives and service improvements such as BusConnects in the five cities, expanding town services in the larger towns and rolling out Connecting Ireland in rural Ireland.

Transport security is another issue. On the call to deliver on the implementation of a transport security force in 2026, there is a strong commitment in the programme for Government. The transport security force will operate under the NTA and have similar powers to the airport police and customs officers. This is a priority for the Government. My Department is working with stakeholders to examine options for the establishment of such a force. It is important to note that primary legislation is likely to be required for its establishment and this can have a significant lead-in time. In the meantime, we will continue to work with operators to support interim measures such as the recent extension of the Dublin Bus security pilot scheme.

The motion calls for the establishment of a new public transport passenger experience office. The recently established consolidated contact centre within the NTA will provide significant opportunities to gather comprehensive data from all public transport operators and to generate detailed reports and analytics, thereby providing insights to enhance customer experience. The 2024 Transport for Ireland customer satisfaction survey shows that 82% of users are satisfied with public transport, reflecting the effectiveness of the current initiatives. We are supporting the roll-out of increased service levels on existing routes and the introduction of new routes. The Government has allocated increased levels of funding for accessible public transport for disabled people in recent years and, as a result, significant progress has been made towards improving accessibility on public transport. For example, the urban bus fleets are accessible, as are most of our rural bus fleets.

The motion calls for the completion of a next-generation ticketing system in 2026. The NTA's project in this regard will provide for a transformative upgrade to the ticketing system for public transport passengers in Ireland. The project will facilitate a variety of payment methods on public transport services, involving a new-generation account-based ticketing scheme incorporating both mobile- and card-based payments for passengers. In 2024, the NTA awarded an overall framework contract to Indra Sistemas, a Spanish information technology company that has designed, installed and operated similar systems internationally. Implementing such a major and complex system across multiple transport operators requires significant co-ordination. A comprehensive governance model has been implemented to oversee the project, given its importance and scale. It will take a number of years to deliver the project fully.

Public transport is not just about moving people from A to B. It is a vital service that connects individuals to work, education, healthcare and their communities. That is why I am firmly committed to ensuring our public transport system offers services that are accessible, reliable, affordable and safe for everyone, including disabled people and older people. We are supporting accessibility through expanding the availability of accessible public transport throughout the country. The real challenge is with older infrastructure and facilities that may not be accessible, such as Victorian-era train stations. My Department funds the public transport accessibility retrofit programme to make these legacy facilities accessible. The 2025 retrofit scheme allocation of €25 million is an increase of 67% on the 2024 allocation.

One of the key public transport priorities for this Government is the continued roll-out of the Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan. Since its launch in 2022, 150 new and enhanced bus services have been introduced, providing 240 more towns and villages with connections to the public transport system. The plan strives to deliver a minimum level of service of at least three return trips each weekday to a nearby town to more than 70% of those living outside of our cities. My Department has secured €15 million in funding under budget 2025 to support the continued roll-out of new and enhanced bus services under programmes such as BusConnects, new town services and Connecting Ireland.

The Government is also committed to increasing Local Link services in rural areas to better connect villages, towns and cities. Patronage on the expanding network of Local Link bus services has seen exceptional growth in recent years. It is expected that additional new and enhanced services will continue to attract passengers.

Regarding the all-island strategic rail review implementation, the programme for Government is clear on the need to continue investment in our national rail network, noting that we will work collaboratively to act on the recommendations from the review to improve connectivity across the island of Ireland. Published last July, the review, which was led by my Department and the Department of Infrastructure in Northern Ireland, sets out a strategic vision for the development of a rail system across the island of Ireland over the coming decades.

My Department is currently working with the European Investment Bank and rail stakeholders north and south of the Border, including the National Transport Authority and Iarnród Éireann, to consider how best to sequence and implement the recommendations of the rail review with a view to optimising their development and implementation. This work involves the preparation of a project prioritisation strategy, which considers implementation of the review, including both short-term interventions, such as passing loops or other works that can be progressed without the need for planning permission, as well as longer term projects. The strategy is at an advanced stage of preparation and is planned for publication later this year. This work has also being used to inform my Department's engagement on the review of the national development plan, which is under way. Once the NDP review is complete, it will help provide clarity on the funding available to progress projects over the medium term. This includes those projects set out in the rail review.

The motion calls on the Government to commit to a €10 billion increase in capital funding for public transport as part of the national development plan. The programme for Government commits to reviewing and enhancing the national development plan to deliver existing strategically important transport infrastructure commitments and to consider the need of new or accelerated potential programmes and projects. Speaking on behalf of the Minister for Transport, this motion is generally in line with the principles of this Government and is broadly acceptable in a number of its aspects, particularly its call to introduce the transport security force and improve passenger experience, including the accessibility, connectivity and affordability of services, through investment and delivery. However, as I have outlined, some elements of the motion do not properly reflect the progress to date in certain aspects, the work currently under way or the Government’s future plans for public transport.

The Government fully recognises the important role public transport plays in our lives and is acutely aware of concerns that have been raised in relation to public transport in this motion. By expanding the public transport network and increasing service levels through the continuation of programmes, such as Connecting Ireland and BusConnects, and increased levels of funding for accessible public transport, we aim to achieve more balanced development, greater connectivity and safer and more reliable services. The Minister for Transport, Deputy O'Brien, the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, and I firmly believe that, through our ambitious plans and ongoing investment in public transport, we will provide a much-improved public transport system for the people of Ireland.

I thank Members for their contributions so far and I look forward to the remainder of them. It is my strong belief that if we give a good experience to passengers on public transport, they will remain with public transport.

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