Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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53. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on the Dublin Bus pilot scheme providing security guards on Dublin services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41981/24]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Anti-social behaviour is a broad societal issue, to which public transport is unfortunately not immune, and it is those passengers and staff who regularly use and work within our public transport network who are most directly impacted by any safety or security incidents that may occur on the network.

While my Department and the National Transport Authority (NTA) regularly engage with public transport operators on the issue of antisocial behaviour, arrangements to deal with anti-social behaviour on public transport are matters which first and foremost must be managed by the public transport operators themselves, in conjunction with An Garda Síochána where appropriate.

Further, as part of the Department Transport’s Sustainable Mobility Plan, the NTA has committed to develop and publish an annual ‘Public Transport Passenger Safety and Personal Security Report’ in conjunction with the Department and implement measures where appropriate.

I would like to reassure the Deputy that all of the operators take the safety and security of their passengers and staff very seriously, and are expending significant resources introducing measures, such as the new Dublin Bus pilot, to counter the impact of antisocial behaviour on passengers and staff alike.

I believe that the recent launch of the Safer Journeys Team 20-week pilot by Dublin Bus is a further positive step in helping to combat the impact of antisocial behaviour on our public transport services. Under this pilot scheme, security staff will be available to respond to any antisocial behaviour incidences reported.

I welcome the introduction of innovative approaches such as this to help tackle the issue of antisocial behaviour, and provide passengers and staff with additional reassurances regarding their safety while using our transport services. I also welcome the learnings that will arise from this pilot, which I believe will help feed into the overall transport strategy on this issue, not least the work which my Department is undertaking with the operators, unions and commuter representatives to develop a public transport safety charter.