John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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164. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the status of the implementation of the new proposed Galway city bus network. [46336/24]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The National Transport Authority (NTA) published its final new bus network for Galway in December 2023. The redesign of the bus network is one of the key elements of BusConnects Galway that aims to fundamentally transform the city’s bus system, making public transport more useful to more people.

In 2023, the NTA carried out an extensive review of the bus network in Galway, in collaboration with Galway City Council, Galway County Council, local bus operators, and with the specialised expertise of transport designers Jarrett Walker and Associates. In April 2023, a draft new network was published, and the feedback and submissions received have informed the final new bus network published in December.

The new bus network will enable more people to avail of public transport, resulting in increased access to a greater number of schools and workplaces across Galway City, Bearna and Oranmore. Once this network is implemented, circa 67% of residents will live within 400 metres of a high frequency bus route (running every 15 minutes or better).

The NTA plans to commence the implementation of the New Galway Bus Network between 2025 and 2026. As part of BusConnects, the NTA are also advancing work on the Sustainable Transport Corridors which will improve travel times on the bus network and improve connections for pedestrians and cyclists. Other parts of the BusConnects programme, like simpler fares, will be delivered with the new bus network.