Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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13. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will indicate the latest data on modal shares on key routes into Dublin city and how they compare with the pre-Covid time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9532/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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While Covid-19 undoubtedly had a profound impact on the public transport sector, I am pleased to advise that Ireland is an international outlier in terms of recovery, with passenger numbers now at or above pre-pandemic levels. This trend is particularly prevalent at weekends, where demand is in the region of 125% of pre-Covid numbers.

By way of illustration, last week saw over 3.2 million bus journeys on Dublin Bus and GoAhead Dublin buses. This compares to a low of just under 900,000 for the same week in 2021, and is an increase of 100,000 when compared to the same week in 2020, pre-COVID. The Luas shows similar numbers, up 100,000 journeys compared to the same week in 2020.

In relation to modal share, the latest Canal Corden report published by the National Transport Authority shows that in 2021, 43.6% of all travel inbound to Dublin was undertaken on public transport. This compared to cars at 39.5%, and active travel at 15.6%. By comparison, the 2020 figures had cars much higher at 74.8%.

While significant progress has been made in encouraging increased usage of sustainable transport modes, I want to acknowledge that there remains a high level of car usage on key routes into Dublin City, which impacts congestion levels and journey times.

Encouragingly though, from 2010 to 2019, we have seen steady growth in daily public transport trips inbound through the cordon, up 33,000 to 116,000 in 2019, while cycling has seen the most impressive growth from 4,800 inbound trips in 2006 to 13,000 in 2019.

I firmly believe that with continued investment in public transport services and active travel infrastructure, we will build a much more efficient framework for the provision of sustainable mobility in Ireland, and encourage the modal shift we need to meet our ambitious targets.