Derek Keating (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this matter for discussion under Topical Issues today. I wish to raise a serious issue affecting the lives of many thousands of people, the local and national economy in the greater Dublin area and the personal lives of many people.

The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport recently announced the cancellation for the time being at least of the metro west project, due to the previous Government's mismanagement of the economy and given the situation inherited by the current Government. Although this was bad news for commuters and for the economy in general, it is now compounded by what I consider to be the carry-on in Dublin Bus.

I have learned in recent weeks of the impact of changes imposed by Dublin Bus on the citizens of the greater western area, including areas within my own constituency such as Lucan, Clondalkin, Palmerstown, Rathcoole, Saggart and Newcastle and many other areas outside my constituency.

Dublin Bus has introduced a new No. 13 bus service with little or no meaningful consultation with the citizens of Clondalkin. The No. 51 service was discontinued and this has caused considerable confusion and disruption. I spoke to some people who informed me that they waited for the No. 51 bus, saw the No. 13 bus pass by and only later realised that this was the replacement service. This is an example of the confusion which can cause great difficulties in people's lives.

In the coming weeks, Dublin Bus is planning to remove the No. 78 and No. 79 bus services to be replaced with a new No. 40 service, which will follow a new route. There has not been any adequate, meaningful consultation, notice or discussion. If mismanagement were an Olympic sport, Dublin Bus would be in line for a gold medal.

In my own constituency, the No. 26 bus route has changed without adequate meaningful consultation or discussion. The Nos. 25, 25A, 25B services have been reduced and the No. 26, when it arrives in Lucan, is generally three-quarters or completely full. The No. 66X is a wonderful service but because of its express nature it bypasses Lucan village and many of the highly developed populated areas in Lucan. When these buses arrive in Palmerstown, with 3,000 homes and more than 7,000 people, the bus service is not adequate between the hours of 7.45 a.m. and 9.30 a.m. and is often non-existent.

The Government provides approximately €25 million to €30 million a year in funding to Dublin Bus. In the circumstances, the National Transport Authority has shown little evidence of value for money when such chaos looms. Every morning, many hundreds of people from Rathcoole to Maynooth are stranded as a result of the changes in the bus services and the bus routes. Their grievance - which I support - is that there is very little meaningful or worthwhile consultation. If consultation is to be meaningful, it must involve the user of the service who is the most important person. The consultation process should also include traders' associations, the local school communities, local residents' associations and public representatives.

People are suffering more stress in the daily circumstances of their lives. The priority for the Government is to bring about a recovery in the economy and the transport needs of the people must be met. I am very unhappy at the way in which these needs are being affected.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for bringing this important issue to the attention of the House and to my attention. As the Deputy will be aware, I do not have an operational role in Dublin Bus and nor do I make decisions as regards individual bus routes. These are matters for the company in conjunction with the National Transport Authority, which is the regulator. The funding of public service obligation services is governed by a public transport contract between the NTA and Dublin Bus.

The Deloitte cost and efficiency review of Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann was published in January 2009. The review found Bus Éireann to be largely efficient. However, it identified some scope for greater efficiencies in Dublin Bus. Following the publication of that report, Dublin Bus undertook an extensive review of its bus network and subsequently announced its plans for the reorganisation of routes and timetables. The objective of the redesign is to provide current and future bus customers with a service that will be modern, accessible, integrated, easy to understand, punctual and frequent.

The redesign is delivering real and tangible benefits to the vast majority of bus users. For example, when completed later this year, there will be a doubling in routes with frequency of ten minutes or better. A total of 60% of customers will be carried on high frequency routes whereas this stood at 23% previously. There will also be increased interchange opportunities with heavy and light rail services. The redesign will reduce the lay-over of buses in the city centre and improve traffic flows, thereby leading to an improved city centre environment.

I understand that Dublin Bus has held over 30 public meetings and 250 meetings with key stakeholders as part of its consultation programme. All changes are advertised in advance through social, national and local media as well as leaflet drops to houses in areas serviced by the bus routes where changes occur. Dublin Bus is continuing to ensure best practice is achieved in the delivery of the service and that the new network enhances this efficiency as part of the network review progresses. All schedules reflect the new traffic levels.

I support the efforts of Dublin Bus to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness under the network direct programme and significant efficiencies and savings have already been achieved. Given the losses recorded by Dublin Bus in 2010 and further reductions in the PSO subvention due over the coming years, it is important that the Deloitte report and the network direct programme are fully delivered upon to ensure the viability of the service.

With regard to some of the specific routes referred to by the Deputy, route No. 13 was recently introduced offering Clondalkin and Ballymun a new travel option. A full consultation was held in the areas with a public road show held at Clondalkin library on 2 February and at the Ballymun civic centre on 3 February. Revisions were made to services and these were made available on the website prior to the changes. On Friday 23 September, details on the proposals were published on the Dublin Bus website, Twitter page and Facebook page and e-mails were sent to Deputies and councillors. From 26 to 30 September, a door-to-door leaflet drop was carried out and 21,900 leaflets were delivered. In the week beginning 26 September, notices appeared in the Northside People and the Southside People; on Wednesday 28 September, notices appeared in the Irish Independent; on Friday 30 September, notices appeared in the Evening Herald and information brochures were delivered to the local public libraries and credit unions.

I am informed there are no plans to change the Nos. 78 and 79 bus routes on Monday as has been suggested by some parties. A consultation was held in the Ballyfermot area throughout October with a road show in the Ballyfermot civic centre on 21 October 2010, with consultations taking at least four weeks. There will be no change to the service without advance notice of at least nine days to customers, including the distribution of leaflets to homes in the vicinity of the route.

Derek Keating (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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My response is that it is not working. If all of this consultation process was meaningful why are there so many complaints and why are so many people stranded? I have attended many consultation meetings and my abiding memory is how the issues raised by people are not addressed in this consultation process. I was very careful in my use of the words, "meaningful consultation". If consultation is to be meaningful it has to take into account what people are saying and hence the confusion that has arisen.

I thank the Minister for his detailed reply. I ask that he agree to convene a meeting with the National Transport Authority to review some of these exercises, given the impact on people's lives, the inconvenience and the grievances expressed. They have difficulties in getting to schools, colleges, places of work. This is not working.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Consultation has to be meaningful but it can only be meaningful to a certain point. This is an efficiency operation as much as anything and no matter what happens, savings have to be made and savings are best made now by straightening out bus routes and having fewer and more frequent bus services rather than having less frequency on existing bus routes. My experience in Dublin 15, where we also have network direct, is that there have been complaints from people who have been discommoded and who are suffering with a worse bus service. Most people have a better bus service, but they do not complain nor tell us they think the bus service is better. It is interesting to note that despite the economy being flat, the numbers using Dublin Bus this year have stabilised and have even increased slightly. This is a good sign that more people are using the bus this year than last year.

On the National Transport Authority, it is conducting a network review of the Lucan area and is doing a look-back exercise to assess the impact the changes have had in the area. I support that. I do not want to get involved in a meeting about individual bus routes; it is just not possible for me to micro-manage at that level. If the Deputy would find it useful, I could arrange for him to meet with the NTA on the issue or to meet directly with senior management of Dublin Bus.