David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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472. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to address the real danger that rural bus services will disappear over the coming months leaving large swathes of rural Ireland without vital bus services if Bus Éireann moves ahead with plans to alter the terms and conditions of its Expressway staff; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38649/16]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I have been consistently clear since assuming office that issues relating to pay and conditions in any particular State owned company under my Department's aegis are a matter for discussion and agreement between the employer and the employees.​

I am aware that Bus Éireann is considering options designed to address its significant financial losses which result from its commercial Expressway service.  The formulation and progression of those plans are a matter for Bus Éireann.  Bus Éireann has engaged consultants to independently review the options available to it as it seeks to address these losses.

In addition the Deputy is also aware that the Company has indicated its desire to discuss the Expressway issue with trade unions.  I am firmly of the belief that difficult issues such as this can only be resolved through open, constructive and realistic engagement between the company and its employees and I do not propose to comment on the detail of any proposals that might be put to Trade Unions to address the serious challenges facing Bus Eireann.  As shareholder, however, I do have a view that Bus Eireann's serious financial challenges should be tackled decisively and effectively so that the company can be viable and serve its customer base on a sustainable basis.

Expressway routes are commercial services which do not receive any Exchequer funding.  Last year commercial bus services carried almost 23 million passengers with approximately 7 million of those passengers choosing an Expressway service.

The Deputy is probably aware that the commercial bus market has seen significant growth in recent years with passenger journeys in 2015 13% higher than in 2013.  These services are regulated by the National Transport Authority (NTA) under the Public Transport Regulation Act 2009.  There have been instances in recent years whereby some commercial services have been reconfigured leaving certain areas without the desired level of public transport provision.  In  response, the NTA has used its powers under the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008 to ensure continued public transport services through the provision of subvented Public Service Obligation (PSO) services.