Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)

If the Minister of State is engaging with the NTA, I would like specific answers about the pilot and how it is going to work. There are currently two issues: the forthcoming automatic vehicle location system and real-time information on the app. I was assured that the team was reviewing the end-to-end process of cancelling services on the current real-time passenger information system to see where improvements could be made. Apparently, there are six technical staff working collaboratively with a similar number of personnel from the transport operator. They are in regular contact. I would like to know what improvements have been made in 2025 regarding the communication of cancelled services. There is no point saying the system works well, which I hear in responses to my parliamentary questions, and that most people find it very useful if it leaves customers stranded on the side of the road expecting a bus when none is coming, with no explanation or apology. Sometimes, it is the last bus due that does not turn up, which is unacceptable when travelling alone and in the dark. So many young people contact me to say this is the case. It should be a simple ask to tell passengers if a service is not running, not just in the automatic vehicle location system but also in the current system.

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