Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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I agree with Teachta Ó Cuív. I am always conscious when we raise this, and I do not mean this in a disrespectful way to the person who has turned up, that there is a rule. It is disrespectful to expect us to come in when the relevant line Minister does not. That is not directed to the Minister of State. I am very conscious that he is here and I do not mean that in a disrespectful way to him. With the assistance of the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach, perhaps the Ceann Comhairle might be able to resolve this issue.

I wish to raise with the Minister of State a number of issues regarding the bus services in my constituency of Dublin Fingal. Recently, across all transport providers, including Bus Éireann, Dublin Bus and Go-Ahead Ireland, there have been a large number of issues regarding the level of service provided to the public.

For the information of the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, my constituency is a commuter constituency. We are actually very massively under-employed in the place I am lucky to represent and to live. The vast majority of people who work or go to college leave my constituency to do so. They are heavily dependent on public transport. We like to avoid the car park that is the M1 in the morning if we can. Some of us can use the train but even for those who are lucky enough to be near a train station, many people still have to use the bus to be able to get into work and go to college. We have had a litany of buses cancelled at that last minute. They are disappearing off the real-time information or they are arriving late. These are only just some of the problems. I have been in constant contact with the Department and with the National Transport Authority about the necessity for services to dramatically improve for my constituents. The bus services across north county Dublin, and in particular routes No. 101, 102, 33A, and the H2, among others, are essential parts of our community and essential for our community to function. This essential service is being undermined when the buses do not show up or arrive late. The people of Fingal have a right to get to work. They have a right to get to school on time and to go about their daily business safe in the knowledge that their bus is not going to be cancelled at the last minute or disappear off the real-time information or, as was the case when I got the bus myself recently, just not turn up or arrive late as it does many times.

This week a woman contacted me about the No. 101 bus service. She waited for the 5.55 p.m. bus from Busáras but it did not appear for one hour. This left her getting the bus at 6.55 p.m., and that is a very regular occurrence for this lady. It is not acceptable. Essentially, it means that people are at panic stations all the time. They are missing meetings, or perhaps there is something that a person wants to go to in his or her own community. We are people who are active in our communities and we want other people to be active in their community, but people cannot do that if they cannot rely on the bus. Likewise, it presents a problem if a person is turning up late for childcare. If you have ever had to do it, it is absolutely mortifying. If you do it continually you send a very poor message to the people you are paying to work hard to look after your kids about where your priorities are. It is not the person's fault, they turn up, they have their money or tickets and they are ready to get on the bus but it does not turn up.

With regard to the No. 33 bus route, and specifically the No. 33A part of that, this service as provided by Go-Ahead Ireland is one of the worst I have seen. There are countless phantom buses, late buses, and non-arrivals. It has happened to me on many occasions. The No. 102 route from Dublin Airport to Sutton is used by a lot of school students. Parents and students have told me the bus is often late or sometimes just does not show up. The students will get into trouble at school for coming in late. They will spend the day in a deficit because they have not been able to get in on time. When the bus does not show or it is late in the evening they are left waiting in the wind, the cold and the rain, or whatever the weather happens to be.

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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I thank the Deputy. I have noted the comments the Deputy made, as well as those made by Deputy Ó Cuív. The senior Ministers are not always available, but I have noted and will relay the comments back.

I want to explain at the outset that the Minister for Transport has responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport but is not involved in the day-to-day operation of public transport services. The National Transport Authority, NTA, has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally. The NTA works with the public transport operators, who deliver the services and who have responsibility for day-to-day operational matters. That said, I reassure the Deputy that the Government is strongly committed to providing all citizens with reliable and realistic sustainable mobility options, and public transport plays a critical role in the delivery of this goal.

To support this objective, in budget 2023, the Department of Transport secured €563 million of funding for public service obligation, PSO, and Transport for Ireland, TFI, Local Link services, up from €538 million in 2022. The Department of Transport’s sustainable mobility policy, launched last year, recognises that tailored transport solutions are needed for urban and rural areas, including in the Fingal area.

The Minister for Transport is very conscious of the need to connect our people and places across Ireland by improving public transport services. To this end, the Government's vision for both rural and urban Ireland is ambitious. Moreover, a cost-efficient public transport sector, including affordable and accessible public transport services, is crucial in terms of effecting a modal shift from private to public transport. The figures in that regard are good.

I will now turn specifically to the Fingal area. The Deputy is no doubt familiar that Fingal spans the area of both the BusConnects Dublin network redesign and the services proposed under the Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan. The NTA has advised the Department of Transport that there is work under way in providing additional services in the Balbriggan, Stamullen, Ballyboughal and Swords corridor, which will be developed later this year for future implementation. Additionally, the BusConnects network redesign will bring significantly enhanced services to parts of Fingal, including Blanchardstown, Swords, and the east coast corridor. TFI Local Link Louth-Meath-Fingal has also confirmed that it is working with the NTA designing new bus routes under Connecting Ireland. With more services coming in 2023 and beyond, these new routes will be transformative and have a fundamental impact on the health and well-being of communities in the area.

In the more urban parts of Fingal, BusConnects Dublin will provide more sustainable, accessible, and reliable transport options, resulting in higher quality service. By revitalising public transport and providing safe active travel routes, the project represents a necessary modal shift away from private transport. To date the NTA has submitted planning applications to An Bord Pleanála in respect of six of the core bus corridor schemes, including the Ballymun-Finglas to city centre scheme, and expects to submit applications for all remaining schemes by the end of quarter 2 of 2023.

It must be noted that industry-wide challenges with driver recruitment continue to pose a challenge. This is being closely monitored between the NTA and the transport operators and the launch dates continue to be kept under review to ensure that the transport operators are operationally ready to introduce the new services.

I am aware the Deputy is very passionate about and interested in accessible public transport as an issue in representing her community. The Department of Transport and its agencies are progressively making public transport more accessible for people who are disabled, including in rural areas, by ensuring that new infrastructure and services are accessible from the start, and also by retrofitting older infrastructure and facilities. It goes without saying that the provision of accessible, integrated and sustainable transport is critical for all members of society, and especially those in vulnerable situations, including people with disabilities and older people.

Again, I note the points made by the Deputy about the routes Nos. 101 and 33A.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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Before I respond, I must acknowledge and thank Deputy Stanton for swapping his slot with me.

In his contribution, the Minister of State has said that the Government is strongly committed to providing all citizens with reliable and realistic sustainable mobility options and that public transport plays a key role in the delivery of this goal. I am not being smart, but I would genuinely like the Minister of State to go down and stand at a bus stop in my constituency and say that to people as the buses disappear off the real-time information.

I understand that the Minister, Deputy Ryan, is not responsible for drafting the timetables and, notwithstanding his experience driving the trucks today, neither do we expect him to jump in and drive the buses. I completely understand the Minister's role in this, but the Government is funding a service that is not working, in a constituency where we are heavily reliant on public transport. I put it to the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, that we do all that we can in here to encourage people to get out of their cars and get onto public transport. It is very hard to do that when one cannot be sure the bus is going to arrive.

The Minister of State referred to accessibility. As it happens, in my constituency some of the most efficient services that are provided are not accessible. They are provided by private bus providers, and some of the more reliable routes are not accessible. If a person living in my constituency has a disability then he or she is doubly disadvantaged. There is an issue if the lifts do not work at the train station. A person must phone in advance to say that he or she is going to need the train. On top of that, a good portion of the transport that is available is not accessible to that person. We want people to have an alternative. People cannot afford to fill the tank of the car, as the Minister of State will be aware, but sin scéal eile. We do want people to be able to use the buses. I challenge the Minister of State to go to any bus stop in my constituency and try to stand up his statement. That is not how the people I represent feel.

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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I note the points made by the Deputy, particularly on accessibility and lifts. It is critically important that these issues are addressed. It is critically important that everybody has a right to public transport and a right to access:to employment services, training,and childcare services. All of those are essential and key components of good functioning urban and rural areas. This is what the Government is setting out to achieve.

There has been the 20% reduction in fees and additional measures such as the 50% reduction in fares for 16 to 23-year-olds.

All of these have resulted in a significant uptake in public transport. It is fantastic. The uptake in Ireland post pandemic has been greater than that in many other European countries, and we should be grateful for that.

As regards BusConnects, the G spine, which serves areas such as Ballyfermot, Liffey Valley, Clondalkin and Islandbridge, launched in October 2022, the H spine, running from Howth to Malahide, launched in June 2021, and the C Spine, running from Maynooth through Celbridge, Leixlip and Lucan and on through the city to Ringsend and Sandymount, was launched in November 2021. A significant amount of work is ongoing but I note the serious points raised by the Deputy with regard to specific routes. It is disappointing that people are waiting at bus stops for buses that do not show up. That throws their plans for the day into disarray. It is critically important we at Government level are putting the investment in, but it also critical that bus service providers work with us to ensure those services are provided notwithstanding the challenges relating to recruitment, employment and so on, as well as the accessibility issues raised by the Deputy.