Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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19. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the engagement his Department has had with BusConnects in Cork to ensure rural areas are adequately serviced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10356/23]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Under the National Development Plan 2021-2030, the BusConnects programmes will be substantially delivered in all of Ireland’s five cities by the end of the decade. Not only will these programmes significantly enhance the quality of bus transport in our cities, they also include the development of high-quality cycle lanes.

The National Transport Authority (NTA) completed the process for redesigning the bus network for Cork in 2022, following two rounds of public consultation. It is intended that all phases of the new network will be fully implemented before the end of 2025. The NTA is currently developing a detailed implementation plan for this purpose.

When fully implemented, the new network will deliver an overall increase of 53% in bus services across the Cork Metropolitan Area. The Cork Metropolitan Area includes densely populated urban areas centred around Cork City and more dispersed, rural areas on the fringes of the city. Many of these rural areas will benefit from new routes and services implemented as part of BusConnects, including Waterfall, Kerry Pike, Dublin Pike and Upper Glanmire.

Outside the Cork Metropolitan Area, and for rural areas across the country more generally, the NTA is implementing Connecting Ireland. Connecting Ireland is an ambitious programme of bus enhancements to create a more integrated, accessible, and sustainable public transport network for rural Ireland.

Following an in-depth public consultation on the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan in 2021, the NTA started implementation of Phase 1 in January 2022. Connecting Ireland has delivered 38 new and enhanced bus services across various counties and almost €4m has been invested in implementing these services to date. The implementation has had a significant impact on rural communities by improving access to high frequency public transport bus services and connecting villages and towns to regional bus and rail services. This increased connectivity is allowing people greater access to social, healthcare, educational and employment opportunities. Phase 1 has created nine new connections to higher level education facilities and 10 new connections to hospitals.

It is also important to note that the NTA is continuing to improve rural public transport services through Phase 2 of Connecting Ireland, with the planned implementation of 67 new and enhanced bus services in 2023. Further roll-out phases will continue from 2024 to 2026.