Colm Burke (Cork North-Central, Fine Gael)
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210. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the steps his Department is taking to improve bus services in Cork city, in particular a service (details supplied), in view of recurring issues with reliability of this service including cancelled and late buses; the frequency of these issues occurring; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65430/25]

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 query raised by the Deputy is an operational matter for Bus Éireann. I have, therefore, referred the Deputy's question to the company for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.

Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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211. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on the merits of expanding nighttime bus services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65440/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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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. This is evident in the Programme for Government to ensuring that public transport is as accessible as possible, supports the delivery of services, and incentivise off-peak travel.

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.

Night-time bus services offers clear benefits, including providing reliable travel options for late-night workers, supporting the night-time economy, and promoting environmental sustainability by reducing reliance on private cars.

Currently, Dublin has several 24-hour bus routes introduced under the BusConnects programme, such as E1, E2, F1, and F2, while Nitelink services operate on weekends to connect the city centre with suburban areas. In addition, extra late-night services will be provided in the lead-up to Christmas on Luas, DART, and Commuter rail, alongside expanded Nitelink and commuter bus options. These are in addition to the growing 24-hour bus network and the regular Nitelink services. Full details of the Christmas schedules are expected to be published late next week, consistent with the approach taken in previous years.

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.

Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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212. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his views on the merits of expanding nighttime bus services to the Glencairn, Dublin 18 area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65441/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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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. This is evident in the Programme for Government to ensuring that public transport is as accessible as possible, supports the delivery of services, and incentivise off-peak travel.

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.

Night-time bus services offers clear benefits, including providing reliable travel options for late-night workers, supporting the night-time economy, and promoting environmental sustainability by reducing reliance on private cars.

Currently, Dublin has several 24-hour bus routes introduced under the BusConnects programme, such as E1, E2, F1, and F2, while Nitelink services operate on weekends to connect the city centre with suburban areas. In addition, extra late-night services will be provided in the lead-up to Christmas on Luas, DART, and Commuter rail, alongside expanded Nitelink and commuter bus options. These are in addition to the growing 24-hour bus network and the regular Nitelink services. Full details of the Christmas schedules are expected to be published late next week, consistent with the approach taken in previous years.

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

Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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213. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the position regarding any engagement he has had with the National Transport Authority in relation to the increased provision of nighttime bus services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65442/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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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. This is evident in the Programme for Government to ensuring that public transport is as accessible as possible, supports the delivery of services, and incentivise off-peak travel.

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.

The NTA has recently advised that they are currently finalising plans for late night services over the Christmas period and will be publishing full details of these arrangements later next week, in line with the approach adopted in previous years.

Broadly speaking, additional late-night services will be provided in the lead up to Christmas on Luas, DART and Commuter rail as well as extra Nitelink and commuter bus services. This is in addition to the expanding 24-hour network and the usual Nitelink services.

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.

Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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214. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the position regarding any engagement he has had with a company (details supplied) in relation to the increased provision of nighttime bus services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65443/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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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. This is evident in the Programme for Government to ensuring that public transport is as accessible as possible, supports the delivery of services, and incentivise off-peak travel.

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 this case, GoAhead Ireland.

The NTA has recently advised that they are currently finalising plans for late night services over the Christmas period and will be publishing full details of these arrangements later next week, in line with the approach adopted in previous years.

Broadly speaking, additional late-night services will be provided in the lead up to Christmas on Luas, DART and Commuter rail as well as extra Nitelink and commuter bus services. This is in addition to the expanding 24-hour network and the usual Nitelink services.

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.

Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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215. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the position regarding any engagement he has had with Dublin Bus in relation to the increased provision of nighttime bus services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65444/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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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. This is evident in the Programme for Government to ensuring that public transport is as accessible as possible, supports the delivery of services, and incentivise off-peak travel.

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 this case, Dublin Bus.

The NTA has recently advised that they are currently finalising plans for late night services over the Christmas period and will be publishing full details of these arrangements later next week, in line with the approach adopted in previous years.

Broadly speaking, additional late-night services will be provided in the lead up to Christmas on Luas, DART and Commuter rail as well as extra Nitelink and commuter bus services. This is in addition to the expanding 24-hour network and the usual Nitelink services.

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.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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216. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the reason for current reliability issues on a bus route (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65493/25]

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 query raised by the Deputy is an operational matter for Bus Éireann. I have, therefore, referred the Deputy's question to the company for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a reply within ten working days.