Results 1,761-1,780 of 6,769 for speaker:Darren O'Rourke

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services in Counties Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Darren O'Rourke: Okay. There are a few County Meath-related queries I have raised previously with Ms Graham but they keep coming up. One of those issues is access to Dublin City University. The 109A used to go there several times a day. There is significant demand for it. The current provision causes significant inconvenience, especially now, with students attending Dublin City University but living at...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services in Counties Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Darren O'Rourke: How might somebody initiate that? What would prompt it? If I search my inbox for references to the 109A and DCU, a lot of emails come up.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services in Counties Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Darren O'Rourke: I thank Mr. Ryan.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services in Counties Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Darren O'Rourke: I thank Mr. Ryan. Mr. Kent, in his opening statement, referred to the complete drop-off in service for a period. It was particularly bad for a number of weeks and led to considerable frustration across County Meath and the political spectrum. It affected several routes. Of particular relevance from my perspective are the 103 route and the NX to Navan. In fairness, they are high-frequency...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services in Counties Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Darren O'Rourke: In his opening statement, Mr. Kent referred to contingency and the number of mechanics. Is Bus Éireann seeking to have mechanics added to the critical skills list? What is the shortage? Will this problem arise again next month or in spring?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services in Counties Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Darren O'Rourke: I ask about driver numbers.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services in Counties Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Darren O'Rourke: As I ran out of time the last time, I will pick up on the episode with Bus Éireann to try to get a better sense of it. We are talking about the window towards the end of October. Mr. Kent said services were delivered at 95%. What does that mean in terms of loss of kilometres? Has Bus Éireann got figures for that period.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services in Counties Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Darren O'Rourke: Does Mr. Kent have a figure for that in kilometres, as opposed to a percentage?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services in Counties Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Darren O'Rourke: If you could send them on, just for empirical-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services in Counties Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Darren O'Rourke: How does that affect Bus Éireann's KPIs? Do the witnesses expect fines to be issued from NTA?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services in Counties Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Darren O'Rourke: Is that done in arrears?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services in Counties Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Darren O'Rourke: The example was given of the NX. I am more familiar with the 103 in Ashbourne-Ratoath than the NX but the principle is the same. During the peak period for a solid hour or more, in some cases Bus Éireann has lost all its services. Is there flexibility around shifting them to a different part of the day or is there not enough notice? I take it somebody will be affected but what about...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services in Counties Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Darren O'Rourke: You did.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services in Counties Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Darren O'Rourke: On drivers and mechanics, Mr. Parker said there are 29 and Bus Éireann is six short. Is that in Broadstone?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services in Counties Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Darren O'Rourke: Is it that it has 29 or should have 29?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services in Counties Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Darren O'Rourke: It should have 29 and is six short. On driver numbers, it was said Bus Éireann is at its figures.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services in Counties Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Darren O'Rourke: Mechanics seem to be the crunch issue. Can the witnesses give commuters in Meath assurance they will not run into the same perfect storm? Bus Éireann is tight on mechanics. What is the pipeline for that looking like? It is depending on private capacity at the moment.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services in Counties Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Darren O'Rourke: Bus Éireann is taking in 28 apprentices per year in the business across the Twenty-six Counties.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services in Counties Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Darren O'Rourke: How long does it take to train them?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Services in Counties Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow: Discussion (29 Nov 2023)

Darren O'Rourke: Is there demand for apprenticeships?