Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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81. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he is aware of plans in relation to a reduced bus service serving the communities of Bluebell and Inchicore; if he will instruct the Údarás Náisiúnta Iompair to meet with the affected communities to take their concerns on board; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11796/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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As Minister for Transport I would like to thank Deputy Ó Snodaigh for his question with regard plans in relation to a reduced bus service serving the communities of Bluebell and Inchicore;

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.

That being said, the Government is strongly committed to providing all citizens with reliable and realistic sustainable mobility options, and public transport plays a key role in the delivery of this goal. To support this objective, in Budget 2025, the Department of Transport secured €658.442 million of funding for Public Service Obligation (PSO) and TFI Local Link services (an increase from €613.813 million in 2024).

This includes funding for the continuation of the 20% fare reduction on PSO services, the Young Adult Card on both PSO and commercial bus services, and the 90-minute fare until the end of 2025. Funding was also secured to extend free child fares on PSO Services to include those aged 5 to 8-years old, and to support the roll-out new and enhanced.

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