Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach. Tá a fhios agam go bhfuil an t-ábhar seo an-tábhachtach di agus dá constituents ar fad ar an taobh eile den chathair. Today I want to speak about issues relating to the National Transport Authority, NTA, and the proposed changes to a bus route but in particular the lack of consultation with my constituents. Will the Minister of State provide a current update on what the NTA proposes? The proposed merger of the 80 and 130 routes would be catastrophic because, according to the NTA, the reason for ghost buses relates to to cross-city travel and longer routes. Instead, could we be reassured that the current routes would be served more regularly, especially at peak times? I get the bus into town in the morning and I see two or three buses going by while I am at the bus stop. That is not down to the drivers - the drivers on Dublin Bus are really hard-working men and women - but is due to resources and the current number of buses at various times. The lived experience of my constituents is very fragile. I spoke earlier this week to the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste about children, elderly people and those with a disability who have the current bus system as part of their routine. They do not like changes to their routine. They were not sufficiently consulted. The former 123 bus now stops on the other side of the river, not near O'Connell Street. It is a change to people's routine. While this might not make a difference to everyone, it does to them. I heard Members of the House speak about an NTA-run taxi app. One of my constituents, P.J. Ryan, has pushed me to raise this. It is a very important issue. It is something else that could be examined. Is there any update on the 130 bus? Will the Minister of State's office please consult the NTA to reassure my constituents that if there are changes, they will be consulted and that there will be more frequent buses? This merger must be stopped. I cannot understand how we have allowed no public consultation to occur and how people are just being told their bus route is going to change. It makes no sense. The data behind the decision in regard to current reliability, cancellations, and time performance of the current bus routes must be published so that the public can see the rationale behind this. Ghost buses must be tackled urgently in respect of the failure with real-time information. We all receive hundreds of emails weekly from the public. It is a bus system and the issue should be very simple to solve. Public transport must be reliable in order to reduce traffic congestion. We spoke this week about remote working and reducing traffic congestion. Another key issue in tackling traffic congestion is reliable bus services. I also want to flag other issues on the north side on which people were not consulted. The first is the changes to the DART station at Donaghmede. Iarnród Éireann insisted that a leaflet drop occurred. I emailed Iarnród Éireann about that again asking for the date and time of the leaflet drop in estates but I got no reply. I raised it directly with the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, and he has now emailed Iarnród Éireann. I know that does not relate to the 130 bus but it is part of the broader theme about the public needing to be consulted. The public know where the faults lie in the public transport system. Will the Minister of State give me an update on the 130 bus and on any data from the NTA? Given that the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, has responsibility for special education, I would love to raise with him Stapolin Educate Together National School. All the Deputies have raised it. It is very important.
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I do not get to see the Minister of State every time.
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I appreciate the reply from the Minister of State. This is an important issue for my constituents, who need reassurance. I emailed the NTA but my office has not received a response from it. I acknowledge the work of Independent Councillor Breen on the north side. I also acknowledge the work of the Acting Chair, Deputy Cummins, who worked very hard on the route 80, which affects her side of the city. If the NTA is to proceed with a merger, I can understand the changes to route 80 but not for the 130 bus route. I have visited special education schools in north Dublin with the Minister of State. Changes to people's routine can really affect them. A lot of constituents have contacted me who are terrified of the changes. They have learned the route and they are used to it. The merger cannot go ahead. If it does go ahead, there needs to be another option for these people. Will the Minister of State relay to the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, the need to engage directly with the affected communities, which I represent? Will he also ensure the NTA publishes the base evidence for the changes? The Minister of State is correct. Obviously, his office knows I always raise, when I have the chance, Stapolin Educate Together National School, but I have him here to relay issues to the Minister for Transport. The bottom line is that the public need to be consulted properly, the reliability issue needs to be fixed, including the ghost buses that are being experienced across all the bus routes in north Dublin, and the data needs to be published. It is very simple for people to hide behind data. If the data is published, we can hold the system accountable. In the last 15 seconds, if the classrooms are sanctioned in Stapolin Educate Together National School, then the necessary funding-----
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-----for those classrooms needs to be provided. It is not fair to sanction classrooms for a school and not provide the area for SNAs to teach in.
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit.
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