Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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77. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on whether the public bus service is a vital piece of infrastructure in rural communities; his plans to support such services and ensure there is an adequate and secure level of public transport provision in rural communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11609/17]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I am fully aware of the important role the bus fulfils in ensuring public transport connectivity for rural communities. This Government has supported that role through the 11% cumulative increase I secured in Budget 2017 for both the Public Service Obligation (PSO) programme and the Rural Transport Programme. That increase means that in 2017 approximately €277million be available to the National Transport Authority to support the delivery of these important programmes, which underpin the delivery of taxpayer funded bus services across rural Ireland. I have committed publicly to further increasing the funding of those programmes in the future as resources allow.Publicly funded bus services in rural Ireland are expanding and improving and that is reflected in the increases in passenger numbers, particularly within Bus Éireann's PSO network.

That Exchequer financial support is supported at a policy level by the commitment given within the Programme for a Partnership Governmentto review public transport policy so as to ensure services are sustainable into the future and are meeting the needs of a modern economy.  I am glad to say that this commitment is also reflected within the actions contained within Realising our Rural Potential - Action Plan for Rural Developmentwhich specifically references the rural transport dimension and the needs of rural communities.

I have no doubt the Deputy is aware that across rural Ireland the publicly funded bus services are complemented by a huge range of privately operated bus services. These bus services are provided by operators under licence from the National Transport Authority pursuant to the Public Transport Regulation Act 2009 and contrary to some reports are not solely focused on major inter-urban routes, but are also frequently found connecting rural towns and villages across the State. In 2015 around 23 million people travelled on a commercial bus service, which represents approximately 9% of all public transport journeys that year.

The National Transport Authority has assured rural Ireland that it has the statutory powers available to it to ensure continued public transport connectivity for communities who may lose services in cases where a commercial operator introduces service changes. The NTA has used those powers in the past and will do so again in the future if required.