Conor Sheehan (Limerick City, Labour)
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566. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when a 90-minute ticket will be rolled out for Limerick buses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43400/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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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 responsibility for the regulation of fares charged to passengers in respect of public transport services provided under public service obligation (PSO) contracts.

In April 2023, the NTA published a new National Fares Strategy, aiming to deliver a more consistent, equitable, and transparent fare structure for all passengers. Following this, the NTA commenced a phased rollout of revised fare zones and structures. Phase 1 of this Fares Determination was implemented in June 2024, focusing on fare changes for towns and shorter journeys within Dublin.

As the Deputy may be aware, the second part of this Determination is being implemented in two phases: Phase 2A (commenced from Monday, 28 April 2025) introduced new multi-modal fare caps in Dublin and revised commuter rail fares; and Phase 2B (commenced from Monday, 16 June 2025) for revised commuter bus fares. It is the NTA’s intention to roll out further changes in future determinations during 2025, designed to deliver a fares approach that is easier for customers to understand.

Alongside this, Budget 2025 includes funding for the continuation of popular public transport fare initiatives including the 90-minute fare, the Young Adult/Student Leap Card, and the discounted fares on PSO services, with further provision to extend child fares to include those ages 5-8 years of age in Q3 of this year.

My Department supports these measures in line with the recent commitment in the Programme for Government to keeping fares low and affordable. As with all such measures, further expansion will be considered in the upcoming Annual Estimates Process discussions.

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.

Conor Sheehan (Limerick City, Labour)
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567. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when contactless payment technology will be rolled out on Limerick buses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43401/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy may be aware, 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 development of public transport infrastructure, including ticketing and technology projects.

The NTA's Next Generation Ticketing project will provide a transformative upgrade to the ticketing system for public transport passengers in Ireland. The project will facilitate a variety of payment methods on public transport services, involving a next-generation 'Account Based Ticketing' scheme incorporating both mobile and card based payments for passengers.

Following a competitive procurement process, the NTA awarded, in April 2024, an overall framework contract for the design, supply, installation and operation of a new multi-modal, ticketing system to Spanish information technology company - Indra Sistemas S.A. - who have designed, installed and operated similar systems.

There is a commitment under the Programme for Government to roll out contactless fare payments on all public transport and to keep fares low and affordable.

The NTA is currently planning the initial implementation of this Next Generation Ticketing system in the Greater Dublin Area (GDA) in line with the current funding and approvals. It is intended to then continue to roll out the system nationwide, but the timeline for that implementation, including in Limerick City and Country, is not yet available and will be developed at a larger date after we have further advanced the design development of the overall system.

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 working days.

Conor Sheehan (Limerick City, Labour)
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568. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport when the new PSO operator will be announced for a bus route (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43402/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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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 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.