Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I move:

That Dáil Éireann:

acknowledges as hugely positive: — the increase in public transport usage in recent years and, in particular, the fact that over 1 million public transport journeys are now taken each day;

— the reductions in all public transport fares that were introduced in April 2022;

— the additional reductions in public transport fares for young adults between 19 and 25 via the Young Adult and Student Card, which was introduced in 2022 and extended in 2024; and

— the roll out of additional Local Link services since 2022, which has seen a five fold increase in the number of people using these services, with 100,000 journeys taking place on Local Link services every week; notes that: — further reductions in fares, balanced with investment in capacity, will bring even more people onto public transport;

— a focus on continuous improvement in passengers' experience is now critical to further growth in public transport usage, in particular efforts to improve timetabling and eliminate ghost buses, ease of access for all, easier contactless ticketing, and real, accessible customer service when something goes wrong;

— transport remains one of the most urgent sectors of Ireland's carbon emissions to reduce;

— the All-Island Strategic Rail Review outlines economic, social and climate benefits for both Ireland and Northern Ireland;

— the Connecting Ireland rural bus programme has transformed public transport use in rural Ireland, connecting communities for the first time and delivering regular, frequent services; and

— people with disabilities or with a mobility impairment continue to face unacceptable obstacles to enjoying equality of access to public transport; further notes: — the Programme for Government 2025 - Securing Ireland's Future is completely lacking in measurable commitments in terms of the amount of additional funding envisaged, and timelines by which the public transport commitments in it will be achieved; and

— that public transport needs to be affordable, accessible, convenient, connected and safe, and that this will require sustained multi-annual investment from central Government to achieve; and calls on the Government to commit to: — a further reduction of 20 per cent in public transport costs for all, across the lifetime of this Government;

— establish a new Public Transport Passenger Experience Office, which will work to diagnose and deliver solutions on issues in the current provision of public transport and advocate for the rights and experience of passengers, this office will provide timely information to passengers, particularly where a service is delayed or cancelled, and which will enhance the accessibility of services for passengers with a disability;

— pass the legislation, and provide the necessary funding, to ensure that the Transport Security Force is established and operational by Quarter 4 of 2026;

— complete the rollout of the contactless fare payment system in 2026;

— a €10 billion increase in capital for public transport in the National Development Plan review;

— ensure the full implementation of the Connecting Ireland rural bus programme, expanding on current levels of services and working towards an "every village, every hour" bus service;

— achieve 150,000 journeys per week on Local Link services by Quarter 4 2026; and

— outline in the Revised National Development Plan those recommendations of the All-Island Strategic Rail Review that the Government plans to deliver by 2030.

I thank the Minister of State for attending.

The Green Party believes that a focus on continually improving the experience commuters and passengers have on our buses, trains and light rail is absolutely critical to further growth in public transport usage. Too often, the stories of being late for work because two services did not connect, standing at a bus stop and seeing numerous services appear on the real-time app and then disappear, listening to someone loudly doomscrolling TikTok in the seat beside you, or feeling menaced on a late evening train carriage when another passenger decides to act up, when shared by word of mouth and put up on social media, undermine confidence in our public transport services. They are a disincentive to people making the change in the way they travel. These stories are effective in doing so because all of us who take public transport have experienced the same situations; we can relate to them when they are reflected back to us.

The programme for Government contains a lengthy section on transport and a significant number of worthy commitments on public transport. However, it is completely lacking commitments in terms of the amount of additional funding that will be committed or timelines by which the public transport commitments will be met. There is not a deadline in sight in the programme for Government.

The absence of anything measurable has real consequences. Where there are no clear timelines being worked to, it lessens the pressure on agencies, Departments and Ministers. I know the Minister of State will agree from his own experience that, without constant pressure from the top, no major reform in this country will ever succeed.

With this Green Party motion, we seek to fill that gap. We are including eight important commitments, with key measurements around them. At the heart of each of these commitments is the belief that we owe commuters a duty to improve their experience on our public transport systems. I welcome that the Government is not opposing this motion and that the Dáil will agree these eight commitments at the end of this debate.

These eight commitments are not an exhaustive list addressing every challenge faced by public transport, but if they were achieved in the lifetime of this Government, they would make a meaningful difference to commuters all over Ireland, urban and rural, North and South. Ultimately, our goal must be to build a first-class public transport system that gives every person on this island a service that works every time. The benefits that flow from that, in terms of emissions reduction, reduced air pollution, more sustainable communities and healthier people, are all well known.

Commitment No. 1 is to a further reduction of 20% in public transport costs for all across the lifetime of this Government. At minimum, the new Government needs to guarantee that the cuts to public transport fares that were introduced in the previous Government will be maintained. We will be watching that closely in budget 2026. However, the Government needs to go further. We know that public transport users are price sensitive. Let us continue to make the use of public transport as affordable as possible for commuters by continuing to cut fares.

Commitment No. 2 is to demonstrate that the Government is serious about tackling ghost buses, inadequate information about cancelled services and the hoops that users with disabilities have to go through in order to be able to access a train by establishing a new public transport passenger experience office. This would be a division within the National Transport Authority to diagnose and deliver solutions on issues in the current provision of public transport. It would also advocate for the rights of passengers.

Commitment No. 3 is to pass the legislation and provide the necessary funding to ensure that the transport security force is established and operational by quarter 4 of 2026. This means starting to provide funding for it in this year's budget, that the legislation would need to be introduced in September or October of this year and that drafters would be put under pressure, but there is widespread agreement that we need to improve the perception of safety on our public transport services, so let us deliver that now.

Commitment No. 4 is to complete the roll-out of the contactless fare payment system in 2026. We all recognise that the lack of a contactless system, whereby one can pay with one's card or phone, leaves Ireland way out of line with most European countries. The Minister of State and I have discussed in the House the significant contract that has been signed with a private company, but I am worried about the lack of timelines. The situation as currently envisaged does not provide a clear line of sight on the delivery of this ambitious and expensive project, and that is why I argue it is essential that we put an ambitious, but doable, timeline into these commitments.

Commitments Nos. 5 and 6 are linked, and they relate to the Local Link services around the country. Due to the investment provided by the Green Party in the previous Government, these have seen huge growth in recent years. The number of passenger journeys have grown fivefold on Local Link services, from 20,000 journeys in 2022 to 100,000 in 2024. We believe that, with continued investment and prioritisation, we can continue that upward trend and grow it to 150,000 journeys by the end of 2026. We want the Government to set this ambition for the completion of the Connecting Ireland rural bus programme and work towards the concept of an every village, every hour bus service. That opens up new options for people living in rural Ireland and gives them real choice in how they plan their journeys.

Commitment No.7 is probably the easiest. We have already completed the all-island strategic rail review. What elements of this does the Government plan to deliver by 2030, which is the end of its term in office? The strategic rail review lasts up to 2050, but I know from my engagement with Irish Rail that it has big plans. It is ready to deliver on significant projects if it can be assured that the budget is there for them. This is specific to the Minister of State's remit, so I would love a clear list of what he intends to achieve in his term of office.

The final commitment - No. 8 - relates to that key issue of budget. If we are serious about improving the commuter experience, we have to invest in it. What is currently allocated to the Department of Transport under the existing national development plan will not be enough to deliver all the big transport projects as well as the other transport projects within the programme for Government. That is why the Green Party advocates for an additional €10 billion in the review of the NDP to public transport projects - €7 billion from the Apple receipts and €3 billion from the surpluses. This sort of investment will make sure we can deliver key large-scale public transport projects.

I will give the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, a little illustration of the commuter experience. I was getting the 7.34 a.m. train in from Castleknock this morning. The train did not arrive. There were horses on the track between Hansfield and Clonsilla. It happens. I found that out on the Irish Rail Twitter feed. We had an announcement on the station's intercom but nobody could hear it because of the noise of a train engine idling over on the other side. No one knew really what was going on. I had to make the call as to whether or not to go the No. 39 or the No. 37 bus. Each of the apps was telling me a different time for the different buses. I took the risk went for the No. 37 but as I was walking to get it, the No. 37 went sailing past and I missed it. When I arrived at the bus stop the real-time machine there was not working. Another No. 37 arrived and Dublin Bus got me in half an hour later. Again, it is not the end of the world but these are just a small few additional stresses that were added to every commuter who was taking that particular route this morning. These are stresses that could be resolved with a greater focus on the experience that public transport users have. When I talk to commuters and to passengers, they talk glowingly about their service, about their bus, and about their train, when those services work. They recognise it when they see additional services being laid on by the public transport companies. Too often they have another feeling, however, which is a feeling of being abandoned. They feel abandoned by the bus that did not turn up. That wrecks a person's morning, being abandoned by that real-time display that bears no reality to the buses arriving and departing and by lifts that are not working or where there are no staff to provide a ramp when a passenger has mobility issues. We have got to make this a thing of the past. We have got to build confidence in our public transport system. It must works all the time and for every single passenger. These eight commitments are about putting measures in place. They are ambitious but I put it to the Minister of State that they are absolutely doable in the lifetime of this Government. If the Government does manage to undertake and complete these commitments, it will show that it is serious about public transport.

Charles Ward (Donegal, 100% Redress Party)
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I thank my colleague, Deputy O'Gorman, and his staff for putting forward this motion on the public transport experience. I fully support the motion and its call for public transport that is affordable, accessible, convenient, connected and safe. In particular the motion seeks to ensure the full implementation of the Connecting Ireland rural bus programme. Developing transport in rural Ireland is very important as many transport services in rural parts of the country are poorly developed and unreliable. This is an issue that comes up time and again for my constituents in Donegal where people are unable to rely on public transport to get to where they need to go when they need to go there.

We also have issues in Donegal where we have no real network, which means we have no alternative to buses. Most of the people, therefore, are forced to rely on cars. This has negative impacts on the environment and contributes to the chronic traffic issues we currently have in parts of Donegal.

I have said it before that Letterkenny is a disaster. The Polestar roundabout is often gridlocked. Emergency services are constantly struggling to reach Letterkenny Hospital. What used to be a five minute journey now takes 45 minutes and is putting lives at risk. This weekend traffic will be even heavier with the Donegal International Rally. It is expected that more than 70,000 people will attend. I take this opportunity to wish the participants in the Donegal International Rally the best of luck. I urge all those attending on the roads to look out for each other and be safe.

There is always a higher risk of accidents when more cars are on the roads, so relying on cars as the only mode of transport, as we do in Donegal, is very dangerous. It also creates a higher risk of drink driving as people in rural areas often do not have access to alternative modes of transport home. This severely affects the night-time economy in Donegal. Across Donegal pubs, clubs and hotels are closing down because people are unable to travel to and from them in a safe manner. Rural pubs are often used as community gathering spaces and their decline has an effect on people's ability to socialise and connect with each other. We need to extend the night-time services to generate more business for the local night-time economies, for pubs, clubs and hotels. We need to develop frequent, reliable and accessible transport that will ensure people in rural Ireland would not have to rely so heavily on cars.

The Bus Éireann service between Donegal town, Dublin and Letterkenny is a service I use. These routes are often not reliable, with the bus sometimes not turning up because it has broken down. These routes can often be overcrowded, particularly in the summer months when people use that service as a mode of transport to get to the airport. Typically, older people can be left stranded at the side the road because they have gone into the bus station to book the tickets. As they have not done it online, they cannot access the bus and they are left stranded at the side of the road. We need to focus on providing more transport infrastructure in Donegal such as bus shelters. We have very few shelters. There are only 20 or 30 throughout the county. People are standing at signs that say, "Bus", the rain is coming down on them and they have no shelter. It is like something from the 1970s.

We need to upgrade our infrastructure to facilitate those who use public transport the most: young people, older people and people with disabilities. From talking to members of the Irish Wheelchair Association recently, and to my constituents, it is clear that people with disabilities find public transport inaccessible and unreliable in Donegal. Our transport services do not cater for those with disability despite the fact these people rely so heavily on public transport. It is a disgrace that in this day and age these people are being left behind. Many wheelchair users in Donegal are, shamefully, isolated and left in their own homes due to a lack of accessible transport. We need a public transport system that works for everyone and leaves no one behind. This is what the Government should focus on.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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I want to thank all the participants in the Global March to Gaza, particularly the Irish ones, for the support we received from ordinary people in this country. I express my wish that everyone currently being detained by the Egyptian authorities is released, able to go home, and to continue to apply pressure to prevent the sort of scenes we saw yesterday where more than 50 people were killed by Israeli tanks while queuing to access humanitarian aid. The blockade and forced starvation needs to end.

I thank Deputy O'Gorman for bringing forward at this motion, which we support. We believe that we need free and frequent public transport. That should be the goal, and not something that is just accessible in urban areas but also outside of urban areas and for as many people as possible. Good quality and fast public transport should become a realistic option. This is probably first and foremost an environmental issue. Transport is our second biggest sector for carbon emissions. It is also a cost-of-living issue with people spending thousands of euro a year on transport. Car transport is the most expensive transport but still public transport is expensive and price is a factor for people.

It is also a quality of life issue. I would say there are very many people for whom the worst part of their day is sitting in traffic during long commutes. Until a few months ago, I was back in my car for most of my commuting because of the crèche run. Thankfully, I got a cargo bike since, so I am now out of it. Definitely the worst part of my day was driving home in traffic with the child in the back and not happy there. You do not know how long you are going to be. It could be an hour or it could be an hour and a half. I am just going to Tallaght but because of the development patterns we have created here, there are people who are commuting much longer journeys. It is awful. This is an example.

Often environmental policies are wrongly portrayed as something that make people's lives harder and more difficult, whereas this is about making people's lives better, cheaper and easier. It is doable. It is a question of political will to implement free public transport. People are surprised at how low a cost it is to turn what we currently have into a free service. It is about €650 million a year. Obviously that needs to be matched with significant capital investment, in expanding the number of buses we have, and in expanding rail infrastructure, which is crucial. It can be done. It is about the political commitment to meet our climate targets and improving people's lives. Instead, the Government seems determined to pursue a policy of privatisation. The difficulties people experience on a daily basis with ghost buses and with apps that are giving wrong information are directly related to a privatisation agenda.

Instead of an integrated system, we have the NTA, Transport for Ireland, Dublin Bus and Go-Ahead Ireland all talking to one another but only to a certain degree. We need a fully integrated, publicly owned system that recruits mechanics and drivers, there being a shortage of both, by offering decent terms and conditions.

We held a public meeting a few months ago in Tallaght at which we talked to a lot of people campaigning on these issues, including the impact of ghost buses. It is not just about the day somebody is waiting four hours or whatever to get home or that someone does not get to work or college on time one day. These problems have a corrosive effect on people's confidence in public transport. If commuters do not know whether the bus will be there at the time it should arrive and they have to get to work or college or collect their child from the crèche, then public transport stops being an option for them.

It is not that Dublin Bus does not have problems, which it does, but it is striking how it is much worse with Go-Ahead Ireland. People can look at the Go-Ahead Group's record in Britain, which is very poor, yet more and more routes are being packaged off and given to the company as part of a privatisation agenda, which makes no sense for anybody but the corporations.

A big part of the Government's agenda is the pushing of electric cars as part of the environmental solution. Obviously, electric cars are better than cars with internal combustion engines. However, the answer is not for society to shift from one model of individual car ownership to a different type of individual car ownership. There are big hunks of metal sitting all across the country, not being used most of the time, in terms of electric cars, lithium, rare earth and so on. They have their own environmental consequences. There is no question that there are those for whom individual car usage will be necessary, but we must give people a real, alternative option. Most people would take such an option if it were genuinely available.

If we give people an alternative, they will take it. However, we also need to stop the promotion and advertising of fossil-fuelled vehicles and fossil fuels. The picture such advertisements promote of driving on open roads with no traffic, going wherever one wants, is propaganda to make people buy into the lie. We must ban fossil fuel advertising like we banned advertising of cigarettes. It is a public health issue as well as a climate issue.

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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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.

Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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Bogaimid ar aghaidh go dtí an Teachta Connolly agus, ina dhiaidh sin, an Teachta Stanley.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I thank Deputy O'Gorman and the Green Party for bringing forward this motion and putting the spotlight on public transport. I am also grateful that the Government is not opposing it. I welcome the Minister of State's speech. I know he is heart and soul behind rail. I may get a chance to come back to that.

The Minister of State acknowledged that "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." He is right but that has been not recognised by any government. Governments viewed transport as getting from A to B, with a whole lobby group behind car transport, building more roads and getting more cars. We are falling into the same trap in respect of electric vehicles. I would love to see a full examination of electric vehicles, from start to finish, in terms of where their components come from but that is for another day.

I note and welcome the eight commitments outlined in the motion. I see the Government will have a strategy later this year. When will it be published? Will it include the western rail corridor as one of its targets? I hope it does. Unfortunately, statements on that have been moved from the agenda of the Dáil today. I hope they will be back next week and we can go into that more.

The press release from the Climate Change Advisory Council is a call to action. Five years since we declared a climate and a biodiversity emergency in May 2019, we have the climate council telling us it is "increasingly unlikely that the Transport sectoral emissions ceiling will be achieved". I see we have students in the Gallery today. The council goes on to tell us that "With journeys to education making up one in five of all journeys, the Council urges an expansion of the School Transport Scheme". It states that only 18% or 172,000 out of 945,000 primary and secondary students avail of the school transport scheme. If the Minister of State was to make any practical difference at all, it would be to expand school transport. It is a no-brainer to provide that it not be limited when we have cars of every size on the roads bringing children to school. Parents have no choice due to the failure to expand the school transport scheme. I and my colleagues have been asking for this forever. The Climate Change Advisory Council sets out what we need to do and the urgency of doing it. We are utterly ignoring the council. We are going to miss our emission targets.

There has been a golden opportunity in Galway city for many years. It is a thriving and beautiful city. Tá mé an-bhródúil aisti. Is cathair dhátheangach í ar thairseach na Gaeltachta is mó sa tír agus táimid sáite i dtranglam tráchta. Tá a fhios ag an Aire Stáit é sin. Tá trácht chuile lá. Galway should be a pilot city, a green lean city. We should build on the industry that is there, its natural beauty and the talent of its people. Instead, we are letting them sit in traffic every day for hours on end. We hear it on the radio. We have no park-and-ride facility. None has been rolled out. It is 20 years since I had the privilege of being mayor. The council agreed with me then to put the objective of a park-and-ride facility in the Galway city development plan. It became law on 1 February 2005, over 20 years ago, but has never been rolled out. Pathetically, we are now looking at a 200-space site. I say "pathetic" given what is needed but it is welcome.

Many years ago, 24,000 people signed a petition begging the Government to look at a feasibility study for light rail in Galway. We got the feasibility study, which said light rail was possible. I know the Minister of State is interested in that. Light rail, alongside park and ride, is one of the components of solving the traffic problems in a way that is compliant with our obligations and with the necessity for transformative action in view of the climate emergency and what we promised after Covid.

Every Government policy I read refers to the necessity of public transport for social cohesion and integration but we are utterly failing to deliver. We are dividing people against each other, people in favour of roads versus others, when this is absolutely unnecessary. We need a comprehensive, inclusive public transport system that is free. We are working towards that and we have reduced emissions. I thank the Green Party for its influence on that. However, it is much cheaper to get a public transport system that is free and has everybody on board. We talk about having public awareness to encourage people. People want to use public transport. They are dying to get out of the cars but they have absolutely no choice.

Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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Go raibh maith agat. I say "Hi" to the sixth-class pupils from Kiltale National School who are here with Deputy Aisling Dempsey.

Brian Stanley (Laois, Independent)
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I welcome the eight proposals in the motion put forward by Deputy O'Gorman. They are very welcome and timely. The very important ones are to further reduce fares and to further accelerate the Connecting Ireland rural bus programme. The all-island rail strategy was mentioned. It is important, as we move towards the reunification of the national territory, that this is stepped up as a practical measure to connect North and South, particularly Donegal, Derry, Sligo, Fermanagh and the other counties of the north west.

We have a lot of catching up to do given that the transport sector accounts for 43% of all energy used. The Climate Change Advisory Council set out again today that we must reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% by 2030. We should be even more ambitious than that. There is huge ground to be made up there.

On the school transport sector, the Climate Change Advisory Council report, published today, notes that of 773,000 primary and post-primary pupils, only 172,000, or 18%, have access to school transport. We can see the difference when schools are on holidays. In mornings and afternoons, the volume of traffic on the roads of all towns, villages and cities, such as Dublin, reduces dramatically. We must change that. One in five car journeys is for the purpose of getting children to school. We can see what needs to be done. We need to drastically improve and expand the school transport system but we cannot do so because we do not have the drivers. Bus operators throughout the country can tell the Minister of State that. We need to deal with the Bus Éireann ban on drivers over 70 years of age for its services and contracted services. The Taoiseach and Tánaiste agreed with me on the issue on the floor of the Dáil. The Minister for Transport, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, agreed me with, as far as I know. I think the Minister of State also agrees that we need to sort that out. We have eight weeks to do so. I have been raising this matter since the first day of Dáil sittings after the new Government was formed. It needs to be sorted out. The review is complete. How many times does it have to be shuffled around between civil servants, their advisers and everybody else? We need to sort it. Drivers should be allowed to work and drive school buses until they are 75 provided they pass a strict medical and eyesight test every year. They are driving private coaches with 52, 72 and 78 passengers. Why can they not drive a minibus of kids to the local school in Shanahoe, Abbeyleix, Ballyroan or any other village or town around the country? We need to sort that and dramatically increase the number of drivers available.

We need to keep cash payments. While I support the move to cashless and contactless payments, we should also retain the option of cash. That is important. Some of us prefer to use cash when at all possible. That is particularly the case for people who do not have bank cards or use phones for payments.

The passenger experience has been mentioned already. There is no doubt that the public transport system has improved and I acknowledge it. Train services have improved. There is now a large number of trains in Portlaoise. There are trains on the hour and sometimes two per hour, which is a dramatic improvement. However, there is only one toilet in the station and sometimes it is not operational. There is one small weather shelter on the outbound platform. There could sometimes be 200 or 300 people standing there. If it rains, 90% of those on the platform are standing in the rain. That needs to change. There are simple things like that to address. We need simple shelters for people to stand under when they are waiting for a train.

I welcome the local bus service in Portlaoise, which has been rolled out in recent months. It has proved a great success. It is fantastic. Some days I can come to Leinster House by walking 100 yd from my front door, getting on a bus to the railway station, getting the train to Dublin, walking out of the station and onto another bus, which drops me down the road. I acknowledge that the bus service in Portlaoise has been fantastic, but we need more rolled out. I ask the Minister of State to sort out the over-70s nonsense. He needs to sort it in the coming weeks and we are depending on him.

Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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Tá daltaí ó Ghaelscoil Éadan Doire sa Ghailearaí freisin, as well as those from Kitealy National School. Plenty of young eyes are watching us.

Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the proposers of the motion and acknowledge the fact that the Government is supporting it. We in Sinn Féin also support the proposals in this motion. It is clear that successive Governments have repeatedly failed to build a modern public transport system that is fit for the 21st century. We only have to look at Dublin's MetroLink, which has been stuck in the pipeline for decades, to see why Ireland regularly ranks as having one of the worst public transport systems in the EU. As a result, public confidence in public transport is not as high as it should be, to say the least. We want to have a fairer system in towns, villages and cities across the State. We want a system that is sustainable, affordable, accessible and safe.

Public transport is about far more than just trains and buses. It is an economic engine that connects people to their jobs, education and services. A number of small issues with public transport are important. When people are travelling on public transport, it is important that they are comfortable. It is not acceptable anymore that people who are undertaking four-hour or four-and-a-half-hour rail journeys from Tralee, Galway and the west generally, and almost everywhere else apart from the Cork-Dublin-Belfast rail line, cannot access even a bottle of water on the train. If you are travelling for that length of time and if the train is not delayed, and in fairness it is usually an efficient enough service, you should be able to get a cup of tea. Many people, I know from experience, including older people and those who do not like having to change trains and who have difficulty accessing public transport, like to take the direct route. It is those trains, in particular, that have the fewest services or no services at all.

Bus stops were mentioned. The system for implementing new bus stops is far too cumbersome. There are overly long negotiations between the councils and the National Transport Authority, NTA, before funding is provided for a bus stop. That must improve.

I will come back to the point about older people and people with disabilities. The situation for them must improve. Some 18% of people have a disability but only 6% of people with a disability access public transport. That is unacceptable. I know what the Minister of State said.

A well-connected, functioning and affordable public transport system is essential for regional balance. The effort to create balanced regional economic growth on the island has been neglected for decades by successive Governments. We heard earlier about the northern and western region and that there is still no rail in Donegal. That region ranks in the bottom 10% of the EU's 234 regions in terms of transport infrastructure. The Government cannot stand over that anymore. It leads not only to a lack of confidence but also to a deep unfairness and inequality. It was good to see the recommendations of the all-island strategic rail review because it is a good way for Ireland to course correct.

I noted what the Minister of State said in his opening statement about fare reductions and that keeping fares low is a priority. It is vital. The Minister of State did not say that the reductions would be changed or altered. He did not give any indication in that regard. Those fare reductions must not be reversed because if we are to continue to make the progress that has been made in recent years, it is important that fares are kept as low as possible. We heard what the Minister of State said. It is important for the Government to get on with it. Implementation should be the priority. People are sick of announcements when there is zero progress. The clear targets for projects, such as the western rail corridor and MetroLink, which must be put in place.

Transport emissions have already been mentioned. They comprise one fifth of Ireland's total emissions and half of them come from passenger cars. The targets for delivery of bus services in rural towns, which are important, must be implemented as soon as possible.

Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein)
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As the Minister of State is aware, Athenry has been without bus services to Galway city for nine months since the previous operator ended its service in September 2024. This is an unacceptable situation for a town of the size of Athenry. It is an enormous loss that has caused real difficulties for workers, students, people accessing hospital appointments and so on. It has caused particular difficulties for those who work early in Galway city because the first train does not arrive into Galway until 8.10 a.m. The lack of a bus has contributed to the serious overcrowding on rail services, which issue I have previously raised with the Minister of State. It has also inconvenienced people as the previous service stopped at the universities and industrial estates, while the train goes directly to Eyre Square.

Shortly after the previous service ended, the NTA stated it would provide for a public service obligation, PSO, bus service. Since then, it has been working with Bus Éireann to provide the service. However, we have now been without a bus service for nine months. How long does it take to get a bus service up and running? I ask the Minister of State to involve himself in the process and hold NTA and Bus Éireann accountable. There is considerable frustration locally and the situation cannot be allowed to drag on any longer.

I recently hosted the Brothers of Charity Galway advocacy council to provide a briefing for TDs and Senators in Leinster House. One issue highlighted by the council is the current booking system for the free travel pass. Many of the pass holders are required to pay booking fees, including on Irish Rail and commercial bus services. Free travel should mean free travel. I ask the Minister of State to engage with all of the operators to address the issue as a matter of urgency.

Joanna Byrne (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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There are many things I could speak about under this Private Members' business but I will stick to trains. Public transport will play a major role in the development of our regions. People must be able to work, live and commute from all over the country and that is why Sinn Féin is determined to deliver major rail projects that have stalled, fallen by the wayside, been left in a Minister's desk drawer or gone hugely over budget. The all-island strategic rail review includes the electrification of the line, new lines to Clongriffin in Dublin and an extension of the DART to Drogheda. While I remain sceptical of a positive impact on commute times when the DART comes to Drogheda, I will wait in hope that it happens.

Government policies have made Drogheda a commuter town and commuters need a new train station on the north side of the town. Almost 20 years ago, a proposed train station was included in the Drogheda northern environs plan. The plan foresaw a huge rise in the population of Drogheda and the need for a train station on the north side. The proposed site of the train station was in housing brochures. Commuters eagerly bought houses that were highly valued because they would be so close to the train station but this changed when Iarnród Éireann said it had no plans to proceed. The north side of Drogheda is getting an extra 20,000 people along the port access-northern cross route over the next five years. The centre of town is choked with traffic around the current train station on the south side. A new IDA business park is being developed on the north side. Drogheda United is developing a new stadium along the port access-northern cross route. All of this could be served by a north-side train station. The land at Aston Village that was originally earmarked is still owned by Iarnród Éireann and this is where the train station should go. For Drogheda to reach its full potential, the long-awaited north-side train station is crucial and no obstacle is insurmountable if the Government really wants to deliver it. I ask that the Minister of State take that on board this morning.

Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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We need reliable public transport but that is not always the case for residents of Dublin Mid-West. By the time a bus or train arrives at a stop, it is often at capacity and simply passes by. Worst of all are the so-called ghost buses, buses that are on the schedule but simply disappear and do not arrive, leaving commuters stranded on the way to work, college or other important appointments. There is a huge amount of development ongoing in Adamstown, Kishoge and Seven Mills. However, there are not enough trains available for the number of people commuting. Residents of Adamstown have reported a substantial increase in the number of people commuting in the mornings and evenings. It is difficult to get onto these trains, which are already full coming from Kildare. Residents implore Irish Rail to put on additional trains, particularly around peak times.

We all know how difficult it is to get drivers for public transport. There is a cohort of experienced bus drivers who have to retire at the age of 70. As our population ages, surely we must look at giving these drivers the option of continuing to drive after reaching the age of 70. I have written to the Minister of State and the previous Minister to ask if there are any plans to allow people contracted by Bus Éireann to continue to drive beyond that age. The answers I have received so far have been disappointing. Under the programme for Government, there is a commitment to carrying out an independent assessment of this matter. My understanding is the assessment has been completed. What was the outcome of the assessment? Is there any movement to allow these vastly experienced drivers to continue driving?

Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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Public transport is essential for rural communities. It connects young people to education and training, older people to services and workers to jobs. It keeps our rural towns and villages alive and links people to public services, which unfortunately have become ever more concentrated in urban areas at the expense of rural accessibility.

Local Link provides an excellent service in County Waterford and across the State. I acknowledge the management, staff, bus companies and drivers who go above and beyond. However, the service must be properly resourced and empowered to make decisions and respond to local needs. I am not convinced the current structure allows that. It is too slow and too centralised. That said, we have seen progress. My colleague, Councillor Donnchadh Mulcahy, and I have worked hard to secure a long overdue Local Link service for Ballyduff Upper. Councillor Kate O'Mahoney has delivered a new connection from Ballinameela to Dungarvan and Councillor Pat Fitzgerald and his community in Ballymacaw ensured the Tramore to Waterford service now includes their area. There is more to do. There is huge frustration in Portlaw and Kilmacthomas that a service to Dungarvan still has not been approved. Councillor Catherine Burke and I will keep fighting for that. Critically, local input has to be central. Route 361 Waterford Local Link was altered over a year ago after no consultation with the local community. That top-down decision removed stops serving Ardmore, An Sean Phobal agus An Rinn and loyal passengers have been left behind. This has to be addressed. I ask the Minister of State and the Minister to intervene.

I will raise a concern about bus stop infrastructure funding. Funding has been announced and I welcomed that announcement. However, local authorities tell me they have not been given the staff or capacity to develop projects to draw that funding down. The funding is left unspent for lack of resources to administer it. If the resources are not there to deliver new and upgraded stops, then it is not real investment. When will the Minister act in this?

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Deputies for tabling this motion and giving us the chance to have this discussion. The Minister of State said the implementation of the new fares strategy is making fares fairer. It is for some people, definitely, but for the people I represent in Dublin Fingal West, since Darragh O'Brien became transport Minister, the cost of commuting from Balbriggan and Skerries has increased by over €400 per annum. The cost for children using public transport has increased by 300%. I welcome that the NTA will look at bringing in a capped card but I can tell the Minister of State and ask him to pass on to the senior Minister that people living in Skerries and Balbriggan will not stand for being taken out of the Dublin commuter zone. They are Dubs. The Government took them out of the Dublin commuter zone and should not have done that. That was a mistake and they want it reversed. They also do not want to have to pay €440 extra for the pleasure of squashing on to overcrowded trains.

On the subject of overcrowding, in order to alleviate the pressure on the rail network, such as on the coast where I live, it is important we have reliable bus services. I attended a meeting in Lusk recently with people from Rush, Lusk, Skerries and Balbriggan. Their concern is BusConnects will not enhance the bus service; it will actually mean more people have to go on trains. They will have to pay more and the trains will get more overcrowded. There needs to be strong consultation on BusConnects. We all want it to work and we all want a more efficient bus transfer but the elimination of the 33 route will crease people trying to commute and will place unnecessary and undue pressure on the trains, which cannot take it. I would like the Minister of State to pass that message on to the Minister. Things have got worse for my constituents since he became Minister. We hope there is nothing personal in it.

Ann Graves (Dublin Fingal East, Sinn Fein)
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Unlike the Government, Sinn Féin has a plan to deliver an affordable, reliable and safe public transport system. This is key to building sustainable, connected communities. I moved to Swords 35 years ago. When I moved there, the population was 17,000; now it is almost 48,000. Unfortunately, the transport system has not kept up with the demands of the growing population. The then Fianna Fáil Government promised to deliver metro north. Thirty-five years on, it may have been rebranded as MetroLink but it has still failed to deliver. Consecutive Governments have flip-flopped on the metro and now the Government cannot agree on when construction is likely to start. You could not make this up.

While the Government dithers, people are being denied decent public transport. Traffic jams remain a reality for people commuting every day. The NTA and Fingal County Council are starting major works on the R132 to introduce cycle and bus lanes, reducing each side of the road by one lane, starting in October. I have spoken to local bus companies. This will cause major traffic problems and should only be done in parallel with metro works. It may be more deliverable and cost-effective to look at other options, like a rail link between Clongriffin and the airport and on to Swords, as an interim measure while we continue to wait.

The Government's lack of public transport plans affects ordinary people going about their daily lives. The bus services in Swords are inconsistent.

Disappearing buses cause hardship, and the ludicrous practices that drivers are instructed to follow just do not work. The 33 bus from Donabate regularly does not turn up. When it does, it is an overcrowded single-decker vehicle. This needs to change, and we have a plan.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South-Central, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the proposer of the motion. It is an important debate. Sinn Féin is ambitious for public transport, particularly in Cork. It is an area that has been the subject of a lot of attention recently. It has been a priority for us because we recognise that for Cork to be the fastest-growing city in the State, we cannot simply rely on more and more people getting into their cars. We need a 21st century transport system. There are number of elements to that. The first, in the context of the proposal, is the Luas. That is something we welcome. We have been calling for it proactively in recent years. Regarding what has been announced for the single route, we believe lessons need to be learned from the approach that was taken in Dublin. If there is going to be a Luas in Cork - and we all want there to be one - the timescale imagined is far too slow. It looks like it could be more than a decade before it begins to carry passengers. The matter needs to be expedited. We also need to ensure that Cork Airport is connected. We need to ensure that there are at least two routes connecting with each other and that we are not left trying to join things up afterwards. It makes absolute sense that it will connect the whole city because there are areas of heavy traffic in Douglas, Carrigaline and on the north side of the city. My colleague Deputy Gould has been vocal on this. That aspect also needs to be expedited.

That is for the medium to long term, and I hope it is expedited. In the short term, we need to get our basic bus system working. People right across the State, not just in Cork, get frustrated and feel that so many things do not work. Buses are almost the perfect symptom. Before I came down, I searched for the words "bus" and "Cork" in my emails. I just picked out two examples, because there are dozens if not hundreds. People indicated that they finish work at 5 p.m. and that what should be a 15-minute drive takes them an hour and ten minutes to complete every day. I was also informed that buses went missing three times in a row over the course of three consecutive days. This is happening constantly. Our buses need to be resourced with staff in order to resolve that.

Ciarán Ahern (Dublin South West, Labour)
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I thank Deputy O'Gorman for bringing this motion before us. The Labour Party will gladly support it. I do not think there is a word in it that I would fault. The Green Party, to be fair, kick-started much-needed investment in our public transport during its time in government, following decades of neglect and underinvestment. It achieved fare reductions on public transport and enhanced Local Link services, investing record amounts and achieving a record 328 million public transport journeys last year. That was a 10% increase on the previous year and a 36% increase on 2022. The Luas passed 50 million journeys for the first time. We obviously need to see more of this. While acknowledging the constraints faced by a small party in government, I still believe more could have been done during the term of the previous Government. In addition, improvements to our public transport system are coming at too slow a pace. We see this in the context of the time it is taking to complete the roll-out of BusConnects, a relatively simple project. We have been talking about MetroLink for the better part of 25 years, and a sod still has not been turned in respect of it.

This is not necessarily the fault of the Green Party. We know better than anyone that when you are in government with Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael, you have to fight tooth and nail for every scrap you can get. Again, the measures the Green Party was able to get over the line during the term of the previous Government were largely positive. Building up capacity and making public transport an affordable and reliable option for people works. Anyone will tell you that our public transport system is far from perfect, but the evidence is there that investment works. We need to see continued investment. We still have not reached a place where public transport is the preferred option for the majority of people, which is where we ultimately need to be. Public transport answers, or at least provides a significant part of the answer to, so many of the questions we face with transport more broadly in this country. These are questions about the climate crisis and reducing our emissions and about road safety and reducing the number of fatalities on our roads, particularly in rural areas. With issues like driving test backlogs and the waiting times we are seeing, such a demand exists. For so many people across Ireland, private car use is their only option because of a lack of public transport, not just in terms of availability but also reliability, efficiency, frequency, cost and sometimes even personal safety.

The previous Government committed to a ratio of 2:1 investment in public and active travel versus new road infrastructure, which was welcome. However, this needs to be built upon in order that we can decarbonise our transport sector and meet our vital carbon targets. That is not to mention the benefits in terms of connectivity, accessibility, health and so on, that more investment in public and active travel bring. Labour called for that ratio to be increased to 5:1 because that is the sort of ambition we need if we ever hope to have a world-class public transport system and to meet our climate targets in the transport area. It is in that context that I was extremely disappointed with the programme for Government. At a time when we need to see a modal shift to the greatest extent possible away from private car use and towards greener, more sustainable modes of transport like buses, rail and cycling, what was the major policy change in the transport sector? It was to pour more concrete. It is clear that the climate-regressive, parish-pump instincts of this Government’s composition won the day. There is no vision for public transport in its plans. There is no lodestar to work towards, and the programme for Government is beyond bare when it comes to detail. Instead, it is bypasses for the boys and lay-bys for the lackeys. Any pretence that Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael or any Independents are sincere in their commitment towards climate action and encouraging the modal shift towards public transport is over. They will not make the difficult decisions, namely bold but absolutely necessary decisions like reallocating our existing road space for public transport. I cannot help but feel that they saw what happened to the Greens in the election and thought, “No thanks”. Regrettably, we are even seeing the Tánaiste oppose public transport measures in his constituency, which is depressing.

This motion provides a good picture of the direction we need to move in, both in terms of investment and regarding how we bring people along with us and encourage them to leave their cars at home as much as possible. Anything we can do to make public transport more affordable and more widely used will get my support and that of my party. In this regard, I would like to see our rail pricing system looked at. A one-way flexi ticket from Galway to Dublin costs approximately €16, whereas the same ticket from Dublin to Cork costs €33, which is double the cost despite there being only approximately 40 km difference in the distance travelled. I have been in touch with the NTA about this. It acknowledged that the fare structures are not always equitable, consistent or easy for passengers to understand, as other Deputies have alluded to. I ask the Minister work closely with the NTA to change this.

The motion also refers to the proposed transport security force - a dedicated transport police. I welcome this. The incident in Mountjoy Square last April in which a man threatened a bus driver with a gun brought violence on public transport to public attention. Many political promises were made in the aftermath of that incident. Unfortunately, there are dangerous and sometimes violent incidents on buses in parts of my constituency of Dublin South-West all too regularly, but they get absolutely no attention. Thankfully, our community is working together to try to solve these issues. We hold monthly transport forum meetings with bus drivers, gardaí, the council, local community and youth groups and public representatives to try to ensure that every passenger and driver can experience a safe environment and that the bus services are not cut off in any of our communities due to violence or dangerous incidents. I pay tribute to SIPTU for pushing the issue and commend its broader Respect Transport Workers campaign, a really positive initiative. I also acknowledge and thank the thousands of transport workers across the country for the work they do every day. We could certainly do with transport police. I reiterate the call in the motion to have the force up and running by at least the end of next year.

Given that the crux of the motion is the public transport experience for passengers, I also want to give my support to a matter raised recently by my party leader, Deputy Bacik. I refer to the rules relating to pets on public transport. We are out of step with many of our European neighbours. My understanding is that, on buses anyway, it is often at the discretion of the driver as to whether someone is allowed on a with a pet. In the interests of inclusivity and encouraging more people to use public transport, we should make it policy that pets be permitted on public transport, with the necessary caveats that they are on a leash and so forth.

The motion calls for better public transport experience, but, of course, you cannot have an experience if there is no bus or train there for you. Earlier this year, there were serious issues with the reliability of certain bus services in Dublin South-West, particularly the S6 and S8 routes, causing incredible frustration in our area. Thankfully, these issues appear to have been largely resolved but it points to a broader trend with the quality of services being provided on routes that have been privatised. There has been a notable decline in that quality since many of the routes in my area were taken over by Go-Ahead, be it the increasing frequency of ghost buses, cancellations or issues around punctuality. TFI is considering privatising even more routes, and I put my party's opposition to this on record. It makes more sense to have a single public entity, namely Dublin Bus, operate all services in Dublin rather than a mishmash of public and for-profit providers. If it is a funding issue with Dublin Bus, then just give it the funding.

I reiterate my call for a new feasibility study on a metro for Dublin South-West. Getting the sod turned on MetroLink will hopefully be a priority for this Government, but there is a gaping hole when it comes to Dublin South-West because 350,000 people live there are there is zero rail infrastructure. I will be working closely with the Metro South-West Group on this issue during the current Dáil term. I commend the group on its work on this to date.

Robert O'Donoghue (Dublin Fingal West, Labour)
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I thank Deputy O'Gorman for bringing forward this motion, which is supported by the Labour Party. I will take the opportunity to talk about my constituency of Dublin Fingal West where public transport is at best disconnected. I acknowledge that the DART+ Coastal North project will, hopefully, come at the end of 2026. In the meantime, our issue is with the bus service. There are variations in the 33 bus, which was mentioned by one of my colleagues. The 33 bus is to be done away with under BusConnects. My constituents were at best sceptical about BusConnects. They have launched a new campaign to retain the direct link from the north county to town for the 33X. Because we are going to lose the 33 under BusConnects, the capacity of the 33A will in theory be ramped up. However, there are issues with ghost buses on the 33A route. People in the north county are afraid that this will increase with staff shortages. The 32X is a success story, but we could do with two more in the morning and the evening in order to meet peak capacity.

Regarding rail fares, I welcome the fact that after a recent campaign, we are looking at redoing student fares in the run-up to the new school year. However, Skerries and Balbriggan are the only two towns in Dublin that are not in zone 1. The Minister used to represent my area, so he will be aware how much this rankles with people in light of the cost involved and the emotiveness of the decision. I have received countless submissions on this. Good public transport requires us to have a system that is accessible, community-centred and affordable and that not only facilitates physical movement but also serves as a cornerstone for building inclusive and vibrant communities.

Aidan Farrelly (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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I thank Deputy O'Gorman for bringing forward this motion. It is certainly a motion that my party and I are very much looking forward to supporting. One of the starkest differences between Ireland and other European countries is our poor public transport system. Under successive Governments, one abandoned or delayed public transport plan has followed another. The Minister will agree that transport policy has generationally focused on moving cars in Ireland instead of moving people. My experience as a public representative over the past number of years tells me that what policy should be doing is moving people away from cars towards what should be reliable, efficient and affordable public transport. Certainly, in commuter belts like Kildare, what we are doing is driving people away from public transport and back to their cars. This is something we need to reflect on.

I will highlight some policy pieces that represent core failings of previous Governments. I hope the Minister will take my comments on board and bring them back to his Department. The first concerns BusConnects. In Kildare, BusConnects has emphatically disconnected communities. It has had the completely opposite effect to that intended. I am speaking about communities in Leixlip and Celbridge, which had quite functional Dublin Bus services that brought them to and from shops and work. They are now completely disenfranchised from the communities they need to access. There are no public transport links to hospitals, including children's hospitals. Regardless of whether it is the C3, which terminates in Maynooth via Leixlip, or the C4, which terminates in Celbridge, what we have here are routes that are completely dysfunctional. I implore the Minister and the Minister for State to ask the officials who drew up these routes for the C3 and C4 to use them. They should use these routes and then tell me they are functional, because there is a difference between what were meant to be joined-up routes and services and people left waiting a serious amount of time for buses to arrive. It is just not working. A total of €660 million had been spent up to May on a project that has disconnected communities. We have some serious questions to answer.

I would appreciate hearing the Minister's thoughts on people with disabilities having to give 24 hours notice before they use public transport. In 2025, that is no longer acceptable. This is a rights-based issue, and I would like to see something coming from Government with regard to it. Kildare North is a very young and vibrant constituency where young people are trying to socialise, work and access Dublin city using a service like the 120 that finishes at 11 p.m. or 11.30 p.m on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. This route is also completely fractured. The Minister might look at whether we could extend the service on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays to allow young people to socialise in town without having to worry about getting a bus home or without driving people back into their cars.

As part of BusConnects, nearly €9 million has been spent on contactless fares. On the basis of replies to parliamentary questions, this project will not come to fruition until 2028. Where is that money going? Given the backlog in driving tests for young people, would the Minister as part of the next budget consider putting €100 on the Leap card for anyone on a waiting list for a driving test for more than ten or 12 weeks? This would give people an incentive to use whatever public transport is available be it rail or Local Link.

Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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I thank Deputy O'Gorman for bringing forward this motion. It is timely and important. While I join my colleagues in welcoming the rise in public transport use, I cannot ignore the serious and growing issue of capacity and overcrowding, particularly on the Luas red line, which serves many of my constituents in Dublin Central. It is not just a matter of inconvenience; it is a matter of safety and, at times, dignity for passengers, particularly those with additional needs such as wheelchair users, parents with buggies or older people. A constituent of mine recently shared her experience. At what she thought would be an off-peak time at 4.15 p.m., she took the Luas into town with her 18-month son. The first tram was so packed that they had to let it pass. They squeezed on to the second only to find the buggy and wheelchair spaces completely full. She had nowhere to hold on to, was forced to stand by the doors and was jostled throughout the journey.

I understand that these incidents can occur as a once-off on any form of public transport. However, this is a regular experience for commuters on the Luas red line. It happens every morning. This is the reality for far too many. People are being pushed off the system because it is not safe and accessible and does not work the way it should. I know traffic restrictions come into play around the city centre to encourage a modal shift and I welcome them but we cannot do so while leaving people with no viable alternative. If we want to be serious about public transport, we have to provide access to it for every user. We urgently need increased capacity, better design for accessibility and a passenger-first approach to service delivery on the Luas red line. Anything less than that means leaving people behind, which is not the standard that should be set for our transport system. The overcrowding on the Luas red line is not just a cause of discomfort; it is becoming an issue of public safety and accessibility failure.

Rory Hearne (Dublin North-West, Social Democrats)
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An issue that is particularly important for my constituency of Dublin North West but affects the entire city is the MetroLink. Ireland is one of the richest countries in the EU, but Dublin is the only large western capital city that does not have a metro. The metro was first promised in 2005, some 20 years ago. It was ditched in 2010 by Fine Gael, so we are still waiting for the metro. The expected deadline for delivery is 2035. Dr. Sean Sweeney, who is the project director, says it might not even be delivered by then.

This is one of the core public transport projects that the State and this city need, yet we are not sure if it will even be delivered by 2035. We have to see guaranteed timelines for delivery of the metro. We are now looking at the rail system potentially costing 20% more than its projected budget of €9.5 billion. How much longer will it go on? How many more delays will add more costs? We need to get the metro delivered. It needs to be a priority, and we need to see guarantees in respect of it.

Another area where we see development is the Luas to Finglas, which is very welcome, but I and Róisín Shortall before me put forward a proposal that there would be an extension in that Luas project to Ballymun which would link Finglas, Ballymun and across the city with the airport when the metro is delivered. I ask the Minister again to look at this as a possibility for developing transport in the city to connect our areas properly.

As my colleagues have mentioned, the issue of capacity within public transport in Dublin city is reaching absolute crisis point. The transport system, in terms of buses, trains, the DART and the Luas, is at absolute capacity. Some of the changes we have seen have been beneficial, but others, as previous speakers mentioned, have disconnected some communities. People feel that public transport is not actually serving the public.

Another issue that needs to be addressed is the privatisation of public transport. We see the ongoing expansion of private bus services when we know from the experience in other countries and our own experience that privatisation does not work. We need a properly funded public transport system, with decent conditions for those who work in it. The trade unions that support those workers have made the point that privatisation is bad for both the workers and the public. We need proper investment in our public transport system, which is also a key component in expanding areas in terms of housing, including housing developments outside of our city cores.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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If I might just have the Minister's attention for this, I believe he who wants to do his best in his role on this issue.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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I genuinely do. Now, I will say that there are hundreds of thousands of people in this country living in a commuter hell. These are people with little or no access to public transport who are forced to use cars every day and who spend maybe two or three hours getting to work back and forth. Meath is a prime example. Meath is the biggest commuter county in the country. The majority of people in Meath leave the county to go to work every day. That happens in no other county in the country. Some 80,000 people in Meath are forced to use their cars daily. Navan is the biggest town in the country without a rail line.

For the majority of the people in question, there is a real cost to this. There is the financial cost, namely the car, the second car, the tolls, the fuel, the insurance, etc. It adds up to thousands of euro a year. There is, however, also a human cost that nobody is quantifying, and this is where parents do not get to see their kids from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.. A good deal of the anxiety happening among children relates to the fact that they have no access to their parents for the majority of the day because their parents are forced to commute such long distances over such long periods. Nobody is analysing that cost. Dublin is the most congested city in the EU. The time and labour costs involved in sitting in traffic are higher than in any other European country. The biggest weakness this Government has is in the delivery of significant infrastructure. Some €300 million spent on metro north and not a shovel put in the ground is a serious problem. If the Minister wants to make a difference, this is what he will have to tackle in terms of the delivery. The fact that the Spaniards were able to build about 35 miles of metro in Madrid for €2.8 billion and we have spent €300 million without putting a shovel in the ground is a real problem.

Look at the bureaucratic and regulatory nightmare we are in. The Navan to Dublin rail line was built in 1852 with picks and shovels in three years. The Department will spend more time on a route selection for this line. It will spend more time than the actual complete build just for the route selection. The railway order will take at least one or two years. The planning application will take at least three years. Therefore, before it builds one foot of rail line in County Meath, it will spend three times the amount of time in the preparation that it took to build it with picks and shovels in the 1850s. If we really want to get a hold of the lack of public service and infrastructure in this country, there will have to be a tackling of the regulatory and the bureaucratic nightmare involved in building absolutely anything here, from the national children's hospital to metro north. If there is one footprint the Minister can leave behind him, it is tackling that.

Michael Collins (Cork South-West, Independent Ireland Party)
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Connecting Ireland is disconnecting quite a number of places, but I do not want to start with a major criticism. There have been great successes in my constituency, Cork South-West, in relation to Ardgroom, Bantry to Sheepshead, Crookhaven, Goleen, Lowertown, Skull to Skibbereen, and Baltimore to Skibbereen, where a second bus has been put on the route is so popular. These are the routes that nobody was either interested in or pushing previously. Unfortunately, however, there are serious areas of disconnection. There is no connection to light rail from Ardgroom to Cork Airport, a distance of 130 km - imagine that - or from Mizen Head to Cork, a distance of 124 km. There is no connection whatsoever to either of those areas, and that needs to be looked. In areas like Ballynacarriga, Drinagh, Bantry to Goleen and Ballydehob, there are pockets where there is no transport service as such. I would like to think also that we would look at our school buses being used as a transport service. Kids can come in on the Luas in the morning with adults. Why can they not sit on the same bus with adults? That is an area we need to look at. I thank Bus Éireann, West Cork Connect and Local Link for delivery of what they are doing but, unfortunately, a hell of a lot more could be done. Over-70s should be allowed to drive school buses too. That will be a huge issue going forward and it needs to be looked at.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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I rise today with a little bit of good news relating to my constituency in Cork. It is a red-letter day because we have just had information passed on to us about the development of the delivery of Tivoli, Dunkettle, Blarney and Blackpool stations. I welcome that. That will have a huge impact on my constituency across the north side. We have missed a beat when it comes to the Luas line in Cork. I see the project and the design that are there. There should be probably two designs. We are not connecting to Cork Airport, which is wrong. We are not servicing the north side at all. I appreciate that there are problems with topography on the north side, but the north side also runs from east to west, covering from Mayfield all the way over to Knocknaheeny, servicing the Apple computer business and all that.

I want the Minister to take my hometown of Mallow into account. While we have a connecting link with the rail into Cork, we do not have an orbital bus. We have been waiting now for seven to ten years for a Mallow distributor road. If we had an orbital bus in the town of Mallow, it would help get much of the local traffic off the roads. Additionally, we do not have orbital buses in the city centre of Cork, which would allow commuters and the shoppers use it. I implore the Minister. BusConnects is doing a good job. It is trying to do a good job. I see the challenges when it is having its drivers in place, but we have to get orbital buses as well to service local population.

Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent Ireland Party)
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In Limerick, Local Link is operating at capacity. To improve the system, people are looking for more services. Local Link would not be in our area were it not for private operators. We would not have it otherwise. I appreciate the investment the Department is putting into Local Link, but there is no joined up thinking. It is doing one route. It should be doing a figure 8 on all links such that when one route is done it links up with one spot where the other route connects to it in order that an operator can go from one to another and travel around different parts of the county.

There have been 300 signatures from people looking for a Local Link service for Martinstown, which is J.P. McManus country. People in Bulgaden are looking for a Local Link. There are more than 300 signatures on this but we have not got the investment. We need the Department to invest more in Local Link to make sure it can happen.

There are bus routes coming from the likes of Bruff, Kilmallock and Bruree. While there are services for people there, there are not enough. People in those areas will use that transport if it is provided. It is the private operators, which we need, that are providing it. We also need to look at licensing to increase the age for drivers. It is just about investment. There are drivers in the private sector, whereas the Government sector does not seem to have them because they cut people off at the age of 70. We have plenty of capable drivers who can drive buses after the age of 70.

Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
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It is good that the Minister is in the Chamber. I have raised transport issues a couple of times when he was not here. I presume some were passed on to him, but I will reiterate a couple.

A while back, I raised the need to have an intercity stop at either Adamstown or Kishoge train station. I know that would cause a five-minute delay but there is a lot of demand in this rapidly growing area to get a train directly from Adamstown. A lot of people will not get a train that involves making a 40-minute trip to get to Heuston. It makes sense. I ask for that to be considered in consultation with the NTA.

I did a major survey, called "Bus Correct", last year. More than 2,500 people responded. I eventually got a meeting with the acting chief executive of the NTA on foot of that. The overall satisfaction rate of 37% from survey participants has to be qualified by the fact that people with a gripe are more likely to give a negative response but, at the same time, it reflects dissatisfaction with buses not turning up and the lack of faith in the service. If we are trying to get people to use the new expanded spine system, we have to have certainty. The survey also highlighted an issue in areas where there were older people with bus passes and wheelchair users. At present, there is only one wheelchair space on a bus. We have to look at that. Changing a bus is not suitable for these cohorts.

We still have to have an early service in the more traditional areas that allows people to get into the city centre. I note the Newcastle direct service was changed by the NTA after there were plans to abolish it, and the Rathcoole service will now be half hourly rather hourly, so the NTA can move. The old 25 route from Adamstown, which was a direct route into the city, needs to be looked at. It is not good enough that the train service in my area has been getting second-hand carriages from the northern route for two years. We need proper carriages.

Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)
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I wish the Minister well in his new role. It is time for it. I hope he will come to County Tipperary - I know he will - to see the different gaps we have.

I welcome the new TFI Local Link. This is a town bus in Clonmel that has been an outstanding success and well used. The Waterford bus is now linking into Kilmanahan and Clonmel. We need it to come to Newcastle and on to Knocklofty, where there should also be a few stops.

The Minister should come and see the rail service, which I use, from Cahir to Limerick Junction. It is a good service although it only runs twice a day. The fare is only €2.70, which is nothing, but the service must be upgraded to at least four or five times a day and have better connectivity to Thurles. It must also be marketed. Nobody knows it is even there. People ask me where I get the train and say that they cannot get a train from Cahir. They do not know it is there, so Iarnród Éireann needs to promote it.

I used the DART to come in this morning. Dublin is lucky to have that service. It is a great service that is almost always on time. It is a very efficient, well-run and nice service. We have gaps in rural areas that we should not have. One of my first jobs as a councillor was setting up the rural transport service, Ring a Link, which was one of the most joyous things I ever did. We now have more services. I salute the manager of Ring a Link, Jackie Meally, and its staff, drivers and everybody else. We need more connectivity for rural Ireland. We also need huge investment in the train line from Waterford to Clonmel and on to Cahir and Limerick Junction. That is the way to do it if we are to get cars off the road. We are forcing people into their cars because they have no other option. We do not have enough TFI services. We have many that are great and more are coming - tús maith leath na hoibre - but there is a long way to go.

I look forward to engaging with the Minister. Maybe he will visit south Tipperary to see for himself the black spots that are there, especially the rail service. We have the stations and other infrastructure but the line needs to be upgraded and we need more frequent services. Above all, the services we have must be marketed. There is no point in a service running if nobody knows about it. It is bizarre that people do not know. They do not believe they can get a train in Cahir. The toilets at the stations in Clonmel and Cahir should be open. It is not fair to have people waiting without those facilities.

Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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I welcome the Government decision not to oppose the motion. Continued investment in public transport is essential if we are to deliver on our climate obligations. We need to acknowledge, as others did recently, that there are now 1 million daily users as well as the expansion of the local network link. We need to make it easier for people to use public transport. Everyone here has travelled to European cities and been amazed by the fact that they can just tap with their phones. The Leap card system is good, but surely it can be adapted to allow people to use their phones. The NTA has said that it will take one or two years, but it should not take that long to adapt a small chip to give people travelling a tap-on experience.

I will reference accessibility. We need to reflect the scale of the barriers people with disabilities still face when using public transport. I acknowledge that we are seeing progress but there are problems with bus stop design in many areas, particularly along the Clontarf Road in north Dublin. At several bus stops on the recently upgraded cycling network, I have witnessed near collisions and there have been serious injuries. I raised this matter with Dublin City Council, the NTA and the Government. We cannot pit one transport user's experience against another. Public safety and accessibility must be the cornerstone of our transport infrastructure. We see where it is being done well, but there are a lot of places where the same design was not implemented.

I will raise another matter. People with disabilities are unable to use Clontarf or Clongriffin DART stations because the lift is continuously out of order. I reference another European city that has an app that shows people real-time data. I know we are doing that but it is not as quick. It needs to show exactly when the lift is out of order so that people are informed and told where they can go.

Go n-éirí leat i do phost nua, a Aire. He will do a great job and I look forward to working with him.

Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent)
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I also wish the Minister the very best in his new role. I look forward to working with him.

I am happy to speak to this motion. I commend the Independent and Parties Technical Group on tabling it. I particularly reference the all-island strategic rail review and the manner in which it outlines economic and social benefits. This is incredibly important.

In respect of my constituency of Offaly, I will raise ongoing issues regarding Clara train station. As my constituent, Barry Flynn, has noted through his extensive research on this issue, Clara was once the location of two railway stations and two railway junctions, one of which branched off the main line to Mullingar and the other off the main line to Banagher. It has been built beside what is called a passing loop. This means that both trains serving the station at the same time can allow passengers to embark or disembark. Unfortunately and bizarrely, this does not happen at Clara. Only the train using the main track can allow passengers to board or alight. The train using the passing loop stops, but because it does not have a platform, passengers cannot enter or exit. This happens on a number of occasions daily. This means that many people from the Clara railway station catchment area, which includes Clara, Moate, Rahan, Ballycumber, Kilbeggan, Tober and Ferbane, who would like to use a specific service cannot do so. The cost of constructing the second platform would be a capital cost and a tiny percentage. Will the Minister consider constructing the second platform at Clara train station?

Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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I am glad to get the opportunity to speak. We have more public transport at the present time. There is a service from Kenmare through to Kilgarvan to Killarney that is great, but maybe a medium-sized bus would suffice rather than the large bus it has. Maybe we could get more bus stops. We need more bus stops because it is not much good to have a bus passing by when people are waiting by the side of road who cannot be picked up because they are too far away from the bus stops we have. The local authority needs to combine with and assist the Department of Transport to provide these bus stops.

Places like Clonkeen are having difficulty getting access to public transport.

I wish to raise another issue. In Killarney, the train station is on one side of the railway platform. The bus station is on the other side of the rail track. We looked for a connecting bridge so that people would not have to go out on the street and down by the Great Southern Killarney with bags and everything, but we were told there was no funding for that. I ask the Minister to look at this again.

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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The Minister is always welcome to the constituency that is Sligo-Leitrim and south Donegal. Indeed, he is always welcome to the west and north west. When he does come, he can come by road, rail, bike or foot. In the Minister's case, I understand he sometimes comes by boat up the Shannon.

I wish to raise the N17 Sligo to Galway and Mayo road. It is an issue everyone wants resolved, and I am delighted it now has been. In the previous Government, there was an issue. The former Minister, Eamon Ryan, came to Sligo and said funding for that road would not be continued. Between the three leaders, we came up with a compromise that allowed the road to progress. I am delighted the N17 is in the programme for Government. It is important.

There are other road projects. For example, we need progress on the N15 to Sligo and Donegal. I understand the Minister is aware of that. There is also the N16. A lot of good work has been done as far as the Leitrim border but there is an issue regarding the road over to Glencar lake. It needs to be resurfaced. There is no money for that at the moment, so we need to look for funding. Coming across the border from Manorhamilton in Leitrim into Sligo, the road is in a bad state of repair. It needs surface dressing.

I also wish to raise the Carrick-on-Shannon bypass. We must ensure it progresses. During the summer or on a Friday or Saturday, one could be waiting up to 40 or 45 minutes. The good news is that the N5 - the Ballaghaderreen to Scramoge road - is progressing. Nearly €400 million has been spent on it. It will be open in the next six months. For traffic coming from Sligo to Dublin or vice versa, we need a plan so that it comes down through Boyle, for example, and hits the N5 around Elphin. That would take a bit of pressure off Carrick-on-Shannon. It needs a bypass to survive, thrive and grow. It is happening but I want to make sure the bypass and N17 get approval. I thank the Minister for listening to his Government TDs and delivering on these projects.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy O'Gorman for tabling this useful motion. I fully understand it is difficult for many Deputies to resist the temptation and not go into the micro and macro. From the contributions, people have recognised that significant progress has been made in public transport and want to work together to accelerate that progress further. It has been a good debate. I was at a Bus Éireann board meeting for the first hour of this debate, so the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, was here for that part. I am happy to make concluding remarks.

I am confident we can all agree it is essential that the Government continue investing in the public transport network. We will not oppose the motion. It has been a useful debate and people are supportive of the Government's commitment to deliver an accessible, affordable and reliable public transport network throughout the country. In the motion and contributions from Deputies, we heard about a range of challenges, but also the progress that had been made and the range of opportunities in public transport. There were record public transport numbers last year, which we want to accelerate. I believe we are all in agreement about wanting to provide a strong public transport network that serves the needs of all members of society in rural and urban areas.

As the House is aware, the Government is strongly committed to providing all of our citizens with reliable, realistic and sustainable mobility options, as outlined in the programme for Government. Public transport is key in the delivery of this goal and in enabling us to make continued progress with regard to our climate obligations.

On fares, the Government is committed to delivering an accessible, reliable and affordable public transport system for all citizens, including children. In the programme for Government, our commitments include the roll-out of contactless payments and keeping fares affordable. We saw the announcement of fairer fares, their implementation and an examination of the further expansion of free public transport for children. We have extended the 20% fare reduction and a 90-minute fare on public service obligation services until the end of 2025 so that everyone will benefit. We have also extended the 50% reduction available for young adults on PSO and commercial bus services until the end of this year. We are supporting new and enhanced bus and rail services as well. Further measures introduced this year include the extension of free travel for children from the ages of five years to eight years. Most recently, there was the roll-out of the NTA distance-based fare and fairer fares. The equitable fares strategy will result in significant reductions for many. We will continue to do that. It helps people to change their behaviours and habits, particularly younger people, if they get used to using public transport at an early age. It leads to them continuing to do that into the future.

We need to fund public transport services. We are focused on existing fare initiatives and service improvements such as BusConnects. I am pleased to say that tenders are in for three of the BusConnects corridors. At least one will start this year. Twelve are now through planning, approximately seven are being challenged and back with the board, and there are various other challenges, but we can start them as well. We are rolling out Connecting Ireland in rural Ireland to enhance factors such as frequency, accessibility and reliability. DART+, DART+ South West, DART+ West and DART+ Coastal North have come through planning. As Deputy O'Gorman will know, my predecessor in the previous Government, Eamon Ryan, oversaw the first significant batch of new rolling stock for our rail lines. It is being tested and commissioned right now.

I am committed to transport security. I have already advanced proposals within the Department as to what that force will look like and how it will operated. I will meet the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, as we also need input from the Department of justice. We will need primary legislation, so I will look for co-operation and assistance from the Opposition in that regard.

Many surveys have been published as regards customer experience. Broadly, people feel safe but there are pinch points and black spots. Those who do not use public transport, interestingly, have a worse perception of safety. It is stopping people from using public transport. People who do not use it have specific fears. We need more gardaí and visibility, which we are seeing. The transport security force can augment that. That has been well documented in passenger experiences.

Reliability was mentioned. I have raised in the House previously how people need to be able to be confident in the real-time data. It will improve over the next two years but there are, unfortunately, still situations, particularly on our bus network, with buses not showing up or disappearing from the app. As recently as yesterday, I had a complaint from my daughter about that very thing when two buses were cancelled. I have good engagement with the NTA. We have been able to find out issues around resources.

Next-generation ticketing was mentioned. The contract has been in place with Indra Sistemas since last year. It is complex; a new IT system is being built. The Leap card works well but we want that contactless system across all of the public transport network. The comprehensive governance model has been implemented to oversee the project. It is an important project and will come to fruition. I believe I mentioned to Deputy O'Gorman when he asked about it during our previous Question Time that the middle or end of 2027 was the timeframe. It will entice a lot more people onto public transport. It will be a better system than the system in Britain and will be account based as well.

Accessibility on public transport for disabled people is one of the matters I was discussing with Bus Éireann. We have done a lot of good work in this space.

It is a priority for me, too. We have seen Iarnród Éireann move, with the 15 hub stations where people with disabilities and mobility issues do not have to wait an outrageous 24 hours anymore. Now, if someone requires assistance, he or she will get it within an hour at most. The new rail cars that are being tested right now are all fully accessible using a ramp-to-platform basis. If one is in a wheelchair or is mobility impaired, it will make it much better. Our public transport system should be available to everyone regardless of physical ability or the physical impediments he or she might have.

The Taoiseach has established a unit within his Department that will focus on disability, reflecting our commitment in the programme for Government to a step change in the supports and services required by people with disabilities. It is fundamental that people can access public transport services, and we want to ensure that happens and improves. I will be engaging with that unit on the emphasis of addressing wider issues, such as ensuring that all public transport operators provide safe access to all passengers.

Great strides have been made with rural transport in recent years. We want to accelerate that. I have met Local Link as well. There can perhaps be better route designs, which has been mentioned during this debate, in linking up routes to other routes, but the numbers speak for themselves in terms of rural transport and how people are responding to it. It is an area that we will continue to accelerate.

There will be resource implications. When I say "resource", I mean drivers. From my meeting with Bus Éireann this morning, the five-year plan it will bring forward this year will probably require 1,000 extra staff in net terms. School bus services have been mentioned. That is somewhat out of my remit, but where drivers are concerned, we need to solve the issue of over-70s school bus drivers. The expansion of school bus places to pupils has been transformative, and there is more demand. There will probably always be more demand with a growing population. We want to get to a stage where we can make a step change and start to catch up with that demand.

On the all-Ireland rail review implementation, the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, noted in his opening statement that work was ongoing with the EIB and rail stakeholders, both North and South, to consider how best to sequence the review's recommendations. That is a commitment in the programme for Government.

The national development plan, NDP, review will be important. Deputy O'Gorman has been through iterations of that in different budget discussions. Public transport is key. Indeed, transport is key to our citizens' quality of life, growth within our country, accessibility and connectivity. I am in the middle of the NDP review with the Minister, Deputy Chambers, on behalf of the Department of Transport. I am working hard in that regard to ensure we can get as many of the additional resources we require to continue to invest.

I fully recognise and emphasise the important role that public transport plays in all of our lives. I am acutely aware of a lot of the concerns that have been raised. There are a lot of very specific issues, which I will endeavour to have the Department respond to. I encourage Deputies across the House, regardless if they are in government or opposition, to reach out and make contact where there are specific instances and examples we can work on together.

I thank Deputy O'Gorman for tabling this useful Motion. It has been a constructive debate heretofore.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I thank colleagues across the House for their contributions on this debate. I thank the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, and the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, for attending.

Last year, we saw public transport usage grow to 1 million passengers per day, which was an important milestone to pass. This shows the success of the measures that were taken in the previous Government, led by a Green Party Minister, to encourage people to take the bus, the train and light rail. I am pleased that the Government is not opposing this motion, but what I am taking from the Minister's agreement to it is that the Government sees these eight commitments as being achievable in the lifetime of this Government. On behalf of the Green Party, I will be holding the Government to account on achieving these commitments.

However, something I was disappointed by in the speeches by the Minister and Minister of State was that, while they were very nice speeches, there was a lack of specifics and measurables in terms of when key commitments will be achieved. The Minister spoke with some passion about the transport security force. In my motion, I set out a timeline to have the legislation passed and the force up and running by the end of 2026. That is 18 months away. I think that is doable.

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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Possibly.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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It will need legislation. I am on the transport committee and am happy to work on that legislation, but we need clear commitments on when we will actually get these things done.

Similarly on the issue of next-generation ticketing, I suggest the end of 2026 to have that implemented by. The Minister of State's speech spoke of taking a number of years. The Minister has now given us a date of the end of 2027, which I welcome. That is important. We have already committed €149 million to Indra Sistemas. That is a lot of public money. I do not think the idea of it happening "in the next couple of years" is good enough. I welcome the fact that we have an end of 2027 deadline in terms of the achievement of next-generation ticketing.

One thing I was struck by in the contributions from Deputies across the House was how many raised the improvements in rural transport through Local Link and town services. For far too many people living in rural Ireland, public transport simply is not an option. That is why, in the previous Government, the Green Party prioritised the Connecting Ireland rural bus programme. We know that Local Link bus services are a key lifeline in many communities, particularly for those who simply do not own a car. The roll-out of additional Local Link services since 2022 has created a fivefold increase in the number of journeys taken. There were 20,000 Local Link journeys taken in 2022, but 100,000 in 2024. That is a huge improvement. Connecting Ireland has transformed public transport in rural Ireland. It is connecting many communities, some for the first time, and giving regular and frequent services. This is not just about moving people. It is about breaking down barriers, ending isolation and ensuring elderly people have those options available to them.

At the centre of the proposals in my motion is the need to improve the commuter experience. Too often, passengers in Ireland face ghost buses, inaccurate information about arrivals and departures on transport apps, broken real-time monitors and inflexibility in how they pay their fares. The Minister will have heard Deputy after Deputy speak about how ghost buses in particular are undermining public confidence in the transport system. The Minister did a nice little TikTok himself about it a couple of weeks ago.

We have called on the Government to set up a public transport passenger experience office. That will ensure accurate information is provided to passengers, particularly if a service is delayed or cancelled. It will ensure a revamping of the entire real-time system because it is not working. The different apps tell people different things. It will improve services for people with mobility challenges and people with disabilities. I note what the Minister said about the consolidated contact centre. I see that as progress but while its role is gathering data from the public transport companies themselves and analysing that, what we need is something for the passenger when he or she has a problem. We do not have that at the moment. What is there at the moment is not accurate and is not important.

I note the improvement in stations where there is only a one-hour notice period for people with disabilities and the improvement to the 15 stations, but we all recognise that there is a job of work to do. The Minister recognised that in his own contribution.

Affordability is key. We know that public transport users are price sensitive. It is important that the overall cuts in public transport fares that were introduced by the previous Government be maintained, as they are important cost-of-living measures. I heard what the Minister said about that. What I am disappointed about relates to my call for a cut of at least another 20% over the lifetime of this Government. The Minister was fairly uncertain on that particular point. Funding for public transport services is focused on existing fare initiatives. That is not ambitious enough. The Government should be looking across four budgets to be taking another chunk off the cost of public transport for commuters because when we do that, they will respond and move onto our services, particularly as capacity grows over the next number of years. Let us reward commuters and make it as attractive as possible for them to make that move.

I welcome Deputy Canney's outlining of the project prioritisation strategy for the all-Ireland strategic rail review.

I know we had to cancel statements on it today, but I hope we will have an opportunity to discuss the all-Ireland strategic rail review. It has major potential for linking parts of the country that have been isolated and neglected for far too long. It has a major North-South element. In order to deliver some key projects in that review, the NDP review, as the Minister said, is absolutely central.

The Green Party calls for an extra €10 billion to be allocated to the Minister's Department over the course of the next five years to 2030. Major projects, including the DART upgrade, metropolitan rail in Cork and Limerick, the western rail corridor, gluas in Galway or the metrolink in Dublin, will not be developed with the current allocation for the Department, given the other transport priorities he has outlined. Deputy Feighan spoke clearly about that. I hope the Minister is fighting as hard as possible for an increased capital allocation.

The Green Party of course opted to table a motion on public transport as it has a direct consequence on our carbon emissions. We know that transport is one of the areas where we are not getting on top of reducing emissions. We also accept that ordinary commuters are not thinking about that on their way to work every day. On a dark winter morning in Blanchardstown when it is raining and the bus flies by a bus stop because it is already full or a family is taking to a trip from Athlone where everyone has to stand on the train because what was marketed as a five-carriage train only has four carriages, there is a daily pain that people experience in terms of being late because real-time information on the app was not correct. All of this weighs on people's patience and time. People are simply thinking they want a public transport system that actually works for them.

Due to the irritation people experience, they often perhaps do not recognise the improvements that are taking place, to which many Deputies have referred. While the significant increase in capital investment is needed, the penny has to drop in the Department and the NTA that passenger experience is of critical importance to public confidence in and satisfaction with the delivery of the infrastructure and to get them moving. That starts with the Minister. I hope he is able to follow through on the commitments we have discussed today.