Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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33. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the spend to date on BusConnects Cork. [45730/24]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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As the Deputy may be aware, BusConnects will be transformative for all five of our cities, including Cork. The third round of public consultation on the 11 sustainable transport corridors in Cork concluded last December. There was positive stakeholder engagement in relation to these proposals.

As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has responsibility for the planning and development of public transport infrastructure, including BusConnects Cork.

Noting the NTA's responsibility in the matter, I have referred the Deputy's question to the NTA for a direct reply. Please contact my private office if you do not receive a reply within 10 days.

Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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34. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the solutions he has offered for the crisis in Cork’s bus network. [45731/24]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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As the Deputy will be aware, despite Bus Éireann’s extensive efforts to address the challenge of driver recruitment, including holding 18 open days in Cork so far this year, there remains a shortage of drivers in the city. Further, congestion issues and driver compliance with parking and bus lane regulations also continue to negatively impact services in Cork.

In order to mitigate the impact on passengers, and to help improve punctuality and service delivery on the routes, Bus Éireann have implemented temporary revised timetables from 20th October 2024. As driver headcount increases, service frequency will return to current levels on the aforementioned routes as quickly as possible.

I can confirm that I have met with both Bus Éireann and the National Transport Authority in recent weeks to discuss these issues, and my officials are in regular contact with both entities in relation to this matter. I also met Cork City Councillors and executives on the 21st of October to discuss the temporary timetable changes and other possible mitigation measures that could potentially help ease the congestion issues in Cork.

Full implementation of BusConnects Cork will deliver over 90kms of priority bus lanes which will significantly tackle the issue of congestion, however in the interim Bus Éireann will continue to take mitigation measures and engage with the relevant authorities to deliver a more reliable service to the people of Cork. Overall, BusConnects will transform bus services in our cities, allowing passengers to travel more conveniently, quickly and sustainably, and I look forward to its full implementation.

The Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy will deliver an accessible, integrated transport network that enables the sustainable growth of the Cork Metropolitan Area, both now and for the decades to come. We have already made good progress in delivering key projects within the transport strategy, including the Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme.

In addition to the Cork Area Commuter Rail programme, the Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy recommends the rollout of BusConnects in Cork and the delivery of a light rail system in the city. Delivery of a proposed light rail system for Cork as in the Strategy will provide a high-capacity, high-frequency public transport link to support growth of population and provide access to employment, health and educational amenities. A public consultation on the proposed Cork Light Rail project will launch in the coming months.

Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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35. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of drivers he believes will be needed in Cork in the next 12 months to run the bus service properly. [45732/24]

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; however, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally and for the scheduling and timetabling of these services in conjunction with the relevant transport operators, in this case Bus Éireann.

The performance of all public transport operators is monitored by the NTA as part of the contractual arrangements in place between it and the operators. These contractual arrangements allow for not just the monitoring of performance by the NTA and the publication of their annual performance reports, but importantly, the contracts also allow for the imposition of financial penalties where performance does not meet the required standard.

In light of their responsibility in this area, I have forwarded the Deputy's request to the NTA and Bus Éireann for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.

Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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36. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of complaints received by the NTA and Bus Éireann on Cork’s bus service. [45733/24]

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; however, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally and for the scheduling and timetabling of these services in conjunction with the relevant transport operators, in this case Bus Éireann.

The performance of all public transport operators is monitored by the NTA as part of the contractual arrangements in place between it and the operators. These contractual arrangements allow for not just the monitoring of performance by the NTA and the publication of their annual performance reports, but importantly, the contracts also allow for the imposition of financial penalties where performance does not meet the required standard.

In light of the their responsibility in this area, I have forwarded the Deputy's request to the NTA and Bus Éireann for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.