Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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Question 685: To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his policy on rolling out real-time passenger information; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14112/12]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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Following the establishment of the National Transport Authority (NTA) on 1st December 2009, the implementation of infrastructure projects in the Greater Dublin Area (GDA), such as Real Time Passenger Information (RTPI), now comes under the remit of the NTA.

The Authority's functions were subsequently extended by Ministerial Order to include provision of RTPI to the four major regional cities of Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford and the contiguous areas of those counties.

My Department is providing Exchequer funding for the development of RTPI both in the GDA and in the four regional cities. The project, whereby electronic bus stop signs tell passengers when their bus is due to arrive, is well advanced in the GDA and I recently launched the pilot phase of a new RTPI service for Cork. The other regional cities of Waterford, Limerick and Galway will follow during the course of 2012 and remains a priority for the Government.

In light of the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's question to the Authority who will respond directly with details of the ongoing development of the RTPI system. Please advise my private office if you don't receive a reply within 10 working days.