John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Question 123: To ask the Minister for Transport the estimated length of new quality bus corridors due to come into operation in Dublin in 2005; the number of new buses that will be added to the Dublin Bus fleet; his views on whether Dublin Bus has a sufficiently large fleet to be able to provide the frequency of bus services for these routes to be characterised as quality bus corridors. [4812/05]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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A key element in improving bus performance has been the provision of quality bus corridors. So far, there are nine QBCs in operation in the Dublin area — Malahide, Lucan, Stillorgan, Finglas, north Clondalkin, Rathfarnham, Tallaght, Swords and Blanchardstown. It is proposed to complete a number of projects in the course of 2005, accounting for a total of about 40 km in length. However, the sections of new QBCs that will be completed in 2005 depend on the outcome of public consultation and tendering processes.

I have allocated €40 million to the traffic management grants scheme for 2005. The QBCs account for a significant proportion of the funding under this scheme, which is administered by the Dublin Transportation Office. The specific amount to be allocated for QBC projects has not yet been finalised by the DTO steering committee. Therefore, these projects are also dependent on funding being provided.

The capacity of Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann has been significantly expanded, particularly at peak times, with capacity increased by almost 25% in recent years. I understand the management of Dublin Bus is currently examining ways of maximising utilisation of the existing bus fleet in light of the significant investment made to date under the national development plan, including investment in other modes and the ongoing changes in demand patterns for Dublin. In this context, it would be premature to make any decisions on further investment in additional capacity.