Maeve O'Connell (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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261. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the way in which his Department has integrated planning for shared mobility hubs into metropolitan area transport strategies and other relevant plans; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44706/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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Integrated land use planning and transport planning in the five cities (Cork, Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Waterford) is led through Metropolitan Area Transport Strategies (MATS) which set out programmes of proposed transport investment in active travel, bus and rail for each city over a 20-year period. These strategies are prepared by the National Transport Authority (NTA) in collaboration with the relevant Local Authorities and Transport Infrastructure Ireland.

In the preparation or review of MATS and Local Transport Plans(LTPs) the NTA, in collaboration with local authorities, ensure that policies or measures providing for mobility hubs are included. In the case of higher-level transport strategies, this normally takes the form of a policy objective, whereas in LTPs, specific objectives to deliver a mobility hub(s) at certain locations can be included.

Given the role of the NTA in this area, I have referred your question to the NTA for further information. Please advise my private office if you have not received a response within 10 working days.

Maeve O'Connell (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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262. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the way in which his Department is implementing promotional campaigns to support the uptake of shared mobility modes. [44707/25]

Maeve O'Connell (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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263. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the way in which his Department is developing a brand identity for publicly built and procured shared mobility hubs. [44708/25]

Maeve O'Connell (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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264. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the progress made by his Department in preparing guidance for local authorities on the development of inclusive shared mobility hubs in line with universal design principles. [44709/25]

Maeve O'Connell (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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265. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the way in which his Department is working with shared mobility providers to promote safe usage of shared micromobility modes. [44710/25]

Maeve O'Connell (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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266. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the way in which his Department is supporting small businesses and employment opportunities through the development of shared mobility hubs. [44711/25]

Maeve O'Connell (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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267. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the way in which his Department is supporting the use of shared mobility hubs with a focus on disadvantaged groups and micro-enterprises. [44712/25]

Maeve O'Connell (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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268. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the data his Department has available showcasing the effectiveness of shared mobility hubs. [44713/25]

Maeve O'Connell (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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269. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to advise where shared mobility hubs will be developed; and the criteria for deciding a location’s eligibility. [44714/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 262 to 269, inclusive, together.

The questions put forward by the Deputy mostly pertain to a suite of policy goals that are outlined in the Government's recently published ‘National Policy Statement on Shared Mobility and the Provision of Hubs’ (June, 2025). This Statement aims to bring greater coherence to the development of shared mobility services and hubs, ensuring that these can be rolled out across the country in a consistent, safe and measured way.

On the question of guidance, the Deputy may be aware that my Department published an Advice Note for Local Authorities on Shared Micromobility Services in July 2024. The aim of this initiative is to support a best practice approach to the delivery of these services and to assist local authorities in their engagement with private operators on issues such as, but not limited to, safety, data-sharing, infrastructure, parking, operations, charging and monitoring.

The Advice Note also recognised and provided some guidance on the type of role that shared mobility can have in supporting local business, employment opportunities and disadvantaged or marginalised groups. It is intended that this Advice Note will be updated in due course, to reflect the importance of developing inclusive shared mobility hubs in line with universal design principles, and any further learnings and developments from a new Mobility Hub Pilot Programme that is being developed and led by the National Transport Authority.

The aim of this new Pilot Programme is to capture key learnings on the implementation and operation of hub networks in five locations and to innovate on issues like branding and promotion – including the safe usage of shared micromobility modes. On 19 June this year, I announced that the candidate locations for this pilot programme are Carlow town, Cork City, Dundalk, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, and Sligo town. The rollout of this Programme will be central to supporting many of the policy goals in the Policy Statement and will help to build on learnings from existing and soon to be expanded shared micromobility schemes – formally TfI Bikes - in Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.

Data from these incumbent regional city schemes show the growing appetite for shared mobility services. Almost 223,000 trips were made across all four cities in 2024, a 23% increase compared to 2023. Of particular note is a 51% increase in trips over the first five months of 2025 when compared to the same period in 2024, with particularly strong growth in Limerick and Cork. To showcase the effectiveness of shared mobility hubs going forward, more data will be coming on stream as part of these expanded schemes and through the new hub networks to be rolled out from mid-2026 under the Mobility Hub Pilot Programme, subject of final approval of the related business case and securing support from the Climate Action Fund.

When taken together, the new Statement, the forthcoming expansion of shared mobility schemes in the regional cities, and the ambitious Mobility Hubs Pilot Programme collectively demonstrate strong progress to date on the Programme for Government commitment to invest in a range of transport options for enhancing connectivity and, more specifically, the commitment to establish mobility hubs in each local authority area in the country. This commitment will be further galvanised through actions on shared mobility in a new Action Plan which is currently being developed for the period 2026 to 2030 under Ireland’s Sustainable Mobility Policy. As indicated in the Policy Statement itself, this Plan will step out the actions necessary for progressing related shared mobility policy goals over the next five years.