Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)

I am a strong advocate and daily user of our public transport system, but the perception and reality on public transport is that people are feeling unsafe. The NTA's security survey shows 40% of people feeling unsafe on public transport. The "Prime Time" programme on RTÉ earlier this year revealed that reported incidents of antisocial behaviour on Dublin Bus specifically rose from 494 in 2019 to just over 1,000 last year. There are real issues there, and this is making public transport less attractive, and especially less attractive for some of the most vulnerable people. From talking to people in my constituency, especially people from the Indian and south Asian minority communities who have experienced an upsurge in racism, I know many have reported that this has happened when they have been trapped on public transport and cannot get away from the aggressor. This is why these measures are going to be so important. If legislation is passed by the end of 2026, would the Minister see this transport police force operating early in 2027?

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