Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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327. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the steps that he is taking to address the issue of those who are excluded from the new public transport fare reductions for under 24s given that a service (details supplied) and Bus Éireann Expressway are not covered by the reductions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30658/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport; I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport, nor decisions on fares. It is the National Transport Authority (NTA) that has responsibility for the regulation of fares charged to passengers in respect of public transport services, provided under public service obligation (PSO) contracts.

In view of the importance of incentivising young people to use public transport, as part of Budget 2022 I secured €25m of funding to provide for the introduction of a young adult card (YAC) which will allow any person nationwide who is between 19 and 23 years old, to avail of an entitlement for discounted travel costs, and to increase the level of discount over and above the current student discount to an average of discount of 50% across all services, including city, intercity and rural services. 

The YAC was launched on PSO services on the 9th of May, with over 1000 applications received by the NTA on launch day alone. The initiative will be broadened to include commercial operators later this year, with the aim to have it in place before the recommencement of third level colleges.  This will not only promote modal shift in the transport sector among this age group but should also contribute towards a reduced reliance on private transport with associated benefit of transport emission savings. 

The time lag is due to the fact that it is technically more challenging to roll-out fare initiatives, such as the YAC, on the commercial bus network than it is on the LEAP enabled PSO network. An array of various ticketing equipment is in use on fleet used by the commercial operators and needs to be catered for. To expedite the process, the NTA has established a joint working group with commercial bus operators to consider options and develop a plan to implement the Young Adult Card in as timely a manner as possible.

Licensed bus and coach operators are an integral part of the overall public transport system, particularly in areas around the country which are not covered by existing public service bus and rail services.  In recognition of the important role these operators play, the Government has continued to provide temporary financial supports throughout the Covid-19 pandemic for certain licensed commercial services, with a view to protecting capacity across the public transport sector throughout the crisis. In acknowledgment of the continuing difficulties facing this sector, these supports for the commercial sector were recently extended up to the 30th  of June 2022. To date over €60m has been provided to support the Commercial Bus Operators during this challenging time.

In light of the NTA's responsibility in this area, I have forwarded the Deputy's  specific question in relation to the inclusion of commercial bus operators in the YAC scheme,  to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.