Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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110. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the way in which he will address the failure of the new phase of BusConnects to provide the promised service, in particular along the E spine, including the promised hourly service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9522/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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As outlined in the new Programme for Government - "Securing Ireland’s Future", this Government is strongly committed to enhancing transportation networks and infrastructure development.

BusConnects is a transformative programme of investment in the bus system, providing better bus services across our cities. It is the largest investment in the bus system in the history of the state and is managed by the National Transport Authority (NTA).

As the Deputy will be aware, the most recent Phase of BusConnects, Phase 6a, was launched on 26 January and included the roll-out of the E-Spine connecting north Dublin to Wicklow.

I have been advised by the NTA that both the E1 and E2 services are scheduled to operate on a 24-hour basis, with an hourly service overnight, and a much higher frequency service during the day, to cater for passenger demand on these routes.

Further, the Bray to City Centre Core Bus Corridor Scheme will support integrated sustainable transport usage through infrastructure improvements for active travel and the provision of enhanced bus priority measures for all services who will use the corridor.

I am aware of the recent issues concerning particular bus services operated by Go-Ahead Ireland in the Greater Dublin Area. I am advised that these issues are linked to fleet reliability issues across their network of services in Dublin, due to a shortfall of mechanics and that this had a knock-on impact on the routes launched in the Bray and Greystones area as part of Phase 6a.

The NTA continues to monitor the situation closely, and I understand that the latest reports indicate a significant improvement in service provision on the affected routes.

I want to reassure the Deputy that the Department of Transport, the NTA, and the public transport operators are working to ensure the optimised deployment of resources across the network to best meet passenger demand.

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.