I thank Deputy Cummins for her contribution and as a public representative I fully understand the stress that BusConnects is causing. I have the same experience in Cork. In many ways the reply I am going to give her will not be the response she perhaps deserves. She is right that I am not familiar with the geographical area, but going through her constituency on the way in and out of Dublin you can see the importance of BusConnects and the Conyngham Road to Thomas Street geographical imbalance. I am struck by her comments about the 40% who have no car. Am I correct that the Deputy said the 57 bus?
Sentiment score: -0.02
I will take the Deputy's concerns back to the NTA and I thank her and the people in Connecting Communities. I know my previous colleague, former Senator Seery-Kearney, had been active on behalf of residents. The first thing is that the Minister for Transport has responsibility for policy and overall funding of public transport, but the Minister or his officials do not have responsibility for the day to day operation of public transport services. That falls to the NTA, as the Deputy knows. The NTA, on behalf of Government, works with public transport operators to deliver services and has responsibility for day to day operational matters. In the context of BusConnects, the NTA is the group that is in charge of its implementation. I reassure the Deputy that the Government is strongly committed to providing all citizens with reliable and useful sustainable travel options and public transport is an important part of that. BusConnects is critical to that offering. In budget 2025, €658 million of funding for public service obligation, PSO, in my case was obtained through the Department for Local Link services, which represents an increase from the €613 million. However, we have been encouraging young people through the fare reduction, the young adult card on commercial bus services and the 90-minute fare until the end of this year. There is also funding for those aged between five and eight years old. The main point we must both work on is to make sure that BusConnects is transformative for our bus system, providing a better bus service across our cities, particularly in Dublin, for the people who use this service. The key elements of BusConnects in Dublin include the construction of segregated bus and cycling lanes, or core bus corridors, as well as a redesigned network of services. I am pleased to announce that An Bord Pleanála has now approved all 12 core bus corridor applications, and I expect to see the first of these corridors enter construction later this year. The primary aim of the redesigned bus network in BusConnects Dublin is to improve the existing bus system through enhanced services with high-frequency spines and new local, orbital and radial routes. The bus network changes in Inchicore form part of this city-wide programme. New services are being provided, running with co-ordinated timetables at high-frequency along each of the main radial corridors to and from the city centre. This is combined with new inter-suburban and local routes. Free interchange is available using the 90-minute fare. As the Deputy is well aware, the new BusConnects Dublin network is being implemented in stages. For Inchicore, phase 4 saw the introduction of the G spine routes connecting Ballyfermot, Liffey Valley and the Red Cow to the Docklands via Inchicore. These services are all operated by Dublin Bus on a 24-hour basis. The NTA has advised that there has been a 25% increase in passenger boardings following the introduction of new services provided under phase 4 of the roll-out, compared with equivalent routes operating prior to the launch of this phase. For Inchicore, the current routes 13, 68 and 69 will be replaced as part of the D spine. Specifically, the overall replacement for route 13 will be the new route D3 running from Clongriffin to Clondalkin via Crumlin, while routes 68 and 69 are being replaced locally by a new route 58. I am informed by the NTA that these changes are planned for the first half of next year. I have been advised that the NTA is aware of the concerns of residents about new route 58 in Inchicore and will write to representatives about this in the near future. Engagement with the Deputy and other public representatives is critical. I will bring her comments back to the NTA.
Sentiment score: 0.19
I thank the Deputy for again articulating people's genuine concerns. As public representatives, it is important that we highlight that the redesigned bus network for Dublin was finalised following three rounds of extensive public consultations. This culminated in over 72,000 submissions being received. Part of the difficulty that I experience in Cork, and I am sure that Deputies Cummins and Devine are the same in their area, is that there needs to be extensive engagement, active listening and participation by all the residents, us as public representatives and the NTA. BusConnects is about transforming public transport. We all share that. There is no argument there. Passenger numbers are increasing. I have been informed that for residents in Inchichore along the G spine, the wait time between the high-frequency buses has significantly dropped, maybe in part because of the active engagement by residents. Bus reliability has improved as a result of this redesign. I understand that the changes proposed to the bus services in Inchichore are causing concerns. Some of those can be alleviated and can be addressed. The issue relates to the geography of the bus route, the frequency and the connections. That is part of what the public consultation must be about. The Deputy and residents bring knowledge that engineers, with the best will in the world, do not necessarily have. Having a map and going through a particular area sounds greats, looks great and reads great, but it is about the day-to-day practicalities. I am confident that the NTA, which has committed to writing to representatives, can address the matter. This is about a modernisation and improvement of our overall transport network. It is about increasing capacity, frequency and coverage across Dublin and other cities and ensuring that we do not discommode people. Obviously, everybody will not get what they want but in this case, it is about working to bring a solution that is practical. I again thank Deputy Cummins for raising the matter. I assure her that I will bring her comments back to the NTA.
Sentiment score: 0.29
I thank the Deputy for raising this matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. I join the Deputy in thanking Councillor Singh for her advocacy and proactivity on the matter. The Deputy is right: antisocial behaviour on our public transport system needs to be addressed. It has been tolerated for far too long. While the Minister for Transport has no responsibility for policy and funding, as that is a matter for the NTA, the programme for Government has a strong commitment to the creation of a transport security force under the National Transport Authority, which would operate and have similar powers to airport police and customs officers. While recent years have seen significant progress on investment in safety measures, antisocial behaviour on public transport remains a serious issue, and it is those who regularly use and work within the public transport network who are most directly impacted by safety or security incidents on the network. I commend Dermot O'Leary of the NBRU for his advocacy and work. The establishment of a transport security force will play a central role in helping to tackle this important issue. Work in the Department of Transport is ongoing to identify the necessary legislative proposals to progress the transport security force commitment, in conjunction with the NTA. The work involves making measured and informed decisions regarding the appropriate model for the transport security force, which is in the preliminary stages of the deliberative process. It is important to note that neither the airport police nor customs officers have the powers provided to An Garda Síochána, and the introduction of such a force will require the development of legislation. Nonetheless, the Government commitment to delivering a safe and secure public transport network, and the ongoing interim work on public transport safety, will continue, as will the continued support and funding for operator measures, such as the Dublin Bus Safer Journeys Team pilot scheme. The Department of Transport engages regularly with the NTA and public transport operators on the safety and security of the network. Throughout these discussions, operators have continuously stressed their strong and close working relationships with An Garda Síochána on these matters. It is important to note that decisions regarding the policing of public transport and the allocation of Garda resources are matters for the Minister of Justice and the Garda Commissioner. The allocation of security staff employed by the various operators, such as Dublin Bus, Irish Rail and Transdev, are matters for the operators. In the case of Dublin Bus, for example, resources are allocated throughout the day to areas in line with front-line worker feedback, reports received from the public and data on passenger usage. A great deal of work to tackle antisocial behaviour on public transport has already commenced, including the establishment of a public transport safety working group. The public transport safety working group was established in 2024 to identify measures to improve passenger and staff safety across the public transport network, and includes representatives from across the public transport sector, operating companies, unions, the NTA, An Garda Síochána, the Department of Justice and passenger representative groups. The main focus of the group is to create a public transport safety charter and to progress the NTA safety and security implementation plan. The Department of Transport continues to work closely with industry stakeholders to identify measures to improve passenger safety across the public transport network. In this regard, communication with stakeholders such as that which takes place at the public transport safety working group will play an important role in the planning and implementation of the Government commitment to create a transport security force. I give Deputy Ó Muirí a commitment that I will come back to him with the timeline for the northside personnel. I will inform the NTA and the Department of Transport of the issues he raises. Work is ongoing on the commitment to ensure the optimised deployment of resources across the public transport network to meet passenger requirements. I again thank the Deputy for raising the matter this morning.
Sentiment score: 0.52
I again reassure Deputy Ó Muirí that security and the visibility of policing on the public transport system and in city centres is critical. He is correct that there needs to be a commitment from the operators on the northside piece. I reassure him that the Minister for Transport, the Department, the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, and I, as well as the Government, are acutely aware of how important it is for transport staff and the travelling public to feel safe. We are strongly committed to providing all citizens with reliable, realistic and safe sustainable mobility options, and public transport plays a key role in the delivery of this goal. The NTA and An Garda Síochána work closely with all public transport operators, who take the safety and security of both passengers and staff very seriously, to promote order and safety on board. The Government is satisfied that each of the operators has increased its safety measures and introduced a number of initiatives in recent years to help to combat antisocial behaviour. For example, Irish Rail has contracted a security service provider for security across the network and developed a surge security action plan. It has also developed its relationship with An Garda Síochána to include access to 20 rapid response hubs that were created. The Luas has more than 50 full-time dedicated security staff, employed by Transdev, who work alongside revenue protection officers and customer assurance officers. Dublin Bus has three dedicated mobile security units that are in operation every day of the week, from midday to midnight. What is important is that there is a commitment and engagement to reinforce the relationship between communities and An Garda Síochána. I reiterate the point about visibility. The Government fully supports this work and the ongoing engagement. We will continue to progress the legislation. I thank Deputy Ó Muirí for raising these concerns. I will convey the points he made to the relevant people.
Sentiment score: 0.54