Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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281. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if there are any limitations to extending subsidies to commuters for the purposes to incentivise the take-up of sustainable travel services provided by commercial operators; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37685/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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In respect of the day-to-day operations of public transport, including TaxSaver ticket offerings, the National Transport Authority (NTA) has responsibility for the regulation of fares charged to passengers in respect of public transport services provided under Public Service Obligation (PSO) contracts.

While the majority of public transport in Ireland is provided by the publicly subvented bus and rail services funded through the NTA’s PSO programme, the system also includes non-subvented bus services operated on a commercial basis by bus and coach companies of varying sizes.

Unlike PSO services, the NTA do not set, monitor or regulate fares on services run by commercial operators. However, in recognition of the importance of incentivising young people to use public transport, the Young Adult Card initiative was extended to participating commercial bus operators in September 2022. Funding has been secured to support this initiative through the end of 2025. The NTA provides compensation to operators for the fare reductions (50% discount) offered under this scheme.

With regard to shared mobility, the recently published Policy Statement on Shared Mobility and the Provision of Hubs noted that commercial shared mobility providers have an important role to play in achieving carbon emissions reduction. It considers how shared mobility services can be most effectively supported, through means such as direct subsidy to companies delivering shared mobility services under contract (in less commercially viable areas, for example) or through indirect forms of subsidy, such as making publicly owned infrastructure available for use by such companies in the delivery of shared mobility services. The Statement commits to exploring a variety of approaches in this context with a view to identifying how the State can most effectively support the sustainable development of shared mobility services over the long term.