There is a crisis in Cork city with the bus service.

For weeks, commuters have been mass-reporting buses that are late, never come or are full and drive past the stops. People are arriving late for work, college and hospital appointments. The root cause of the problem is a crisis in the recruitment and retention of drivers. The 2017 drivers’ contract offers no enhancement of conditions for drivers with years built up in the job and is a huge part of the retention crisis. News broke this morning that Bus Éireann plans to cut services on five city routes on October 20th, namely, the 202, 202A, 205, 208 and 220 routes. It describes it as a temporary measure pending recruitment of new drivers, but it has given no date for the resumption of the normal timetable.

Will the Minister accept there is now a crisis in public transport in Cork? Will he ask the Minister for Transport, Deputy Ryan, to see the crisis first hand by visiting? Will he address the recruitment and retention crisis by improving the pay and conditions of this workforce?

I thank Deputy Barry. I am aware of this issue. There is nothing more frustrating than the ghost bus or service that goes past because it is full. In my own area, Dublin Bus took measures in the last two years to increase recruitment, which is a major challenge for public transport operators all over the country. Dublin Bus has been able to increase recruitment by 10%. I strongly support any measures Bus Éireann can take to ensure recruitment is enhanced in the area which would allow a return to the previous levels of service that the Deputy indicated.