Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for coming back in to take this matter. I really appreciate it. We are all conscious of the Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan, which was launched in October 2021. It is a very important plan. Its key objectives concern increased access, enhanced connectivity, improved frequency and innovative solutions. It is managed by the NTA working with other partners such as Rural Link and TFI. It looks also at town bus services. It has certainly had quite a lot of success. I have seen first-hand the success of the Local Link buses. There are a few on the radar where a lot of work has been done and we are nearing the completion point. I am looking for an update on those. The proposed 888 route in south Kildare will connect Athy to Monasterevin, on to Rathangan and Allenwood. It will service different stops all along the route, particularly the Lullymore heritage park, which lies between Rathangan and Allenwood.A number of people from Allenwood and Rathangan who work there do not have any access to public transport. Also, as regards our visitor experiences, if the Minister of State has not been to Lullymore Heritage and Discovery Park, I would recommend that he go there. It is a fantastic experience for the young and old. We want to ensure that people can access it using public transport such that people will be able to get the train to Newbridge or Kildare and get the 126 bus, for example, into Rathangan and then be able to access the 888 bus, or travel by bus to Allenwood and get the 888 over. There is a strong, vibrant community that lives along that route and is looking forward with great anticipation to its commencement, which I understand will be in early June. We do not have a timetable yet but, obviously, the frequency is important. While we have quite good public transport on linear lines through Kildare, the cross-Kildare service is not so good.

Another matter that I mentioned and that I want to get an update on is the connectivity between Suncroft and the towns of Kildare and Newbridge. Currently, there is only one service a day. That will not get young people into school - there is no secondary school in Suncroft - or get people into work or in to meet the commuter trains to Dublin. Work has been carried out on that and possibilities are being looked at as regards also connecting the likes of Nurney and Boley into a service with Suncroft.

The third part of this Commencement matter is the fact that a number of third level students travel from Newbridge to Maynooth University but there is no public bus service. This needs consideration, as does a town bus route in both Newbridge and Kildare. We have a lot of new housing estates in both towns that are about three miles from the train station. I would like to see both those towns get a town bus in order to bring people using public transport to the train station.

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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I thank Senator O'Loughlin for raising this important topic, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Darragh O'Brien. I wish to clarify that the Minister has responsibility for policy and overall funding relating to public transport but neither he nor his officials are involved in the day-to-day operation of public transport services. The statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally rests with the National Transport Authority, NTA. The NTA works with the public transport operators, which deliver the services and have responsibility for day-to-day operational matters.

That said, the Government is strongly committed to providing all citizens with reliable and realistic sustainable mobility options, and public transport plays a key role in the delivery of this goal. In the new programme for Government, Securing Ireland's Future, the Government has committed to increasing Local Link services in rural areas to better connect villages, towns and cities.

To support this objective, under budget 2025, the Department of Transport secured €658.442 million in funding for public service obligation, PSO, and Local Link services provided by State operators and under contract by the NTA this year. This includes funding for the continuation of the various fare initiatives, such as the young adult card and the 90-minute fare, until the end of 2025. Funding has been provided to extend free child fares on PSO services to include those aged five to eight years. Funding of €15 million was secured to support the roll-out of new and enhanced bus services in 2025, including the continuation of BusConnects, Connecting Ireland and the planned introduction of further new town services.

Funding for the rural transport programme has increased from €21 million in 2019 to €57 million in 2024, and over 150 new or enhanced services have been rolled out under the Connecting Ireland programme since 2022. The roll-out of the Connecting Ireland rural mobility plan, which was action 32 of the sustainable mobility policy action plan, has been hugely successful. Under this plan, 240 towns and villages have been newly connected to the public transport network. Sixty-one new connections have been established to healthcare facilities and 41 new connections have been made to higher education facilities. The new and enhanced services introduced to date have added in excess of 300,000 weekly vehicle kilometres to the Transport for Ireland, TFI, public transport network.

The five-year plan also aims to improve the co-ordination and connections of different bus and rail services in order to provide a seamless and efficient transport system throughout rural Ireland. Forty-nine of the new and enhanced services provide connections with existing rail services. Passenger numbers have seen a fivefold increase since the roll-out of Connecting Ireland began in January 2022, with a record weekly high of 105,986 passenger journeys recorded in October 2024.

I now turn to the specific routes Senator O'Loughlin raised. The proposed route 888 linking Allenwood to Athy is expected to launch in June, which is next month. Discussions between the NTA and Local Link Kildare South Dublin on a route connecting Suncroft to Kildare-Newbridge are now at an advanced stage, and the NTA expects to finalise details in the coming weeks. A review of the network - Newbridge to Maynooth University - is now under way. However, this needs to take account of a number of commercial bus operators operating between Newbridge and Maynooth currently.

The Department of Transport, the NTA and the operators are working to ensure the optimised deployment of resources across the public transport network to match passenger demand.

Fiona O'Loughlin (Fianna Fail)
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I note the fact that 240 towns and villages have been newly connected to the public transport network. That is welcome. There have been 61 new connections to healthcare facilities and 41 to higher education facilities. That is notable and laudable, and we need to say "Well done" to all those involved. I am pleased that the 888 route is expected to launch next month. That is important. We need to get the timetables. I am also pleased that the Suncroft-to-Newbridge-Kildare route is at an advanced stage. It will not come soon enough for the people who live there.

As regards the review being carried out of Newbridge to Maynooth - and I appreciate that other sensitivities need to be looked at - the concerns are that some of the commercial bus operators can stop at any time and then students can be stranded. It is therefore important that a public service be given to the students who need to travel.

I appreciate the Minister of State's response. One message I would like him to bring back to the Department is to look again at a town bus for Newbridge and Kildare that will link in with the public transport network.

Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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The Government recognises that transport connectivity is important for people who live and work in Ireland, including Kildare, and is key to bringing life back into our villages, towns and urban centres.

To deal with the specific point the Senator raised, the proposed route 888 linking Allenwood to Athy is expected to launch next month. Discussions between the NTA and Local Link Kildare South Dublin on a route connecting Suncroft to Kildare-Newbridge are now at an advanced stage and the NTA expects to finalise those in the coming weeks. I note the point the Senator raised about a Newbridge-to-Maynooth service but, as I said, a review of the network is under way and this needs to take account of a number of commercial bus operators operating between Newbridge and Maynooth currently. I will bring the point she raised back to the Minister for Transport and the Department.

The Department of Transport, the NTA and the operators are working to ensure the optimal deployment of resources across the public transport network to match passenger demand.