Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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75. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will consider extending the short hop zone to Newbridge and surrounding areas to aid with the cost-of-living of commuters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62392/25]

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)
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I wish to reassure the Deputy that improving the accessibility, reliability, and affordability of public transport, while ensuring the system remains well-funded and responsive to passenger needs, is a core priority under the Programme for Government. The National Transport Authority (NTA), as fare regulator for services provided under PSO contracts, plays a central role in achieving this.

You will be aware that since last year there has been a significant change to the zonal structure used in the Greater Dublin Area for public transport. The old Short Hop Zone has been replaced by a new zonal structure comprising a Dublin City Zone and then three further zones. These zones have been developed based on distances from the city centre, reflecting the rationale generally underpinning the move toward a much fairer fares system which is based on distance.

The Dublin City Zone extends to approximately 23km from the city centre with Zone 3 representing a distance of around 50km from the city centre. With this change Newbridge was categorised as Zone 3 which brought a number of benefits to commuters as compared to the previous zonal structure. For example Newbridge commuters now enjoy significantly reduced fares for travelling to Dublin as compared to before with an adult Leap fare from Newbridge to Dublin City Centre reduced by approximately 45%. In addition, Newbridge’s inclusion in Zone 3 means passengers can avail of the TFI 90-minute fare, allowing interchange to Dublin City Bus, Luas, and eligible rail services at no extra cost if the tag-on occurs within 90 minutes of the initial tag-on.

I think the Deputy would acknowledge the significant benefits that Newbridge passengers are now enjoying thanks to these changes that have been introduced and also acknowledge the importance of ensuring any fares system is based on transparency and fairness across the board. There are no current plans to make any further changes to the zonal system as introduced just last year.

Séamus McGrath (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail)
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87. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to examine the transportation connectivity to Cork Airport, and the way in which this can be enhanced by sustainable investment, in view of the request from the airport for a 24-hour bus service to be introduced as soon as possible. [63383/25]

Jerry Buttimer (Cork South-Central, Fine Gael)
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I would like to thank Deputy McGrath for his question regarding public transport connectivity to Cork Airport.

The Minister for Transport has responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport; however, he is 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, which in this case is Bus Éireann.

Bus Éireann operates its Public Service Obligation (PSO) routes in Cork, as part of its Direct Award Contract with the National Transport Authority (NTA). This contract sets out the level of service Bus Éireann provides and the number of routes. Additionally, the schedule, frequency, fleet and fares are determined by the NTA. Bus Éireann currently runs two PSO routes providing connectivity to Cork Airport, the 225 running from Kent Station to Haulbowline and the 226 from Kinsale to Kent Station.

The NTA have confirmed that a Serving Planning Review of Public Transport Access to Cork Airport has recently been carried out. The planned BusConnects network for Cork Airport retains the current network structure with Route 13A to operate as per current route 225 while route 13B will operate as per current route 226.

The Preliminary Business Case for BusConnects Cork was approved by Government in October 2025. Following three rounds of public consultation, the NTA published the new BusConnects network in June 2022, which will aim to provide an increase of over 50% in bus services across the city. The Sustainable Transport Corridors, which will see the introduction of 90km of bus priority and 95km of cycle lanes when completed, are expected to enter the planning system next year.

The NTA have advised that consideration will be given to including extended hours of operation through the implementation of Bus Connects and that these measures would be further developed during the detailed implementation planning which is expected to commence during 2026.