Cork bus service reliability
Deputy McGrath complained that Bus Éireann and the NTA have failed to provide a dependable Cork city and suburbs bus service despite years of representations. The Minister acknowledged the frustration, said the NTA has oversight and penalties, and undertook to ask the Transport Minister to engage urgently.
I raise the local bus service in Cork city and suburbs and the failure of bus Éireann and the National Transport Authority to provide a reliable and dependable service. I should not have to raise this issue on the floor of the Dáil but I am forced to because countless efforts by me and other public representatives over many years are simply not being addressed in terms of the National Transport Authority and Bus Éireann. We are tired of excuses at this stage regarding the poor quality of the bus services in Cork city and suburbs. We all know the issues - buses running late, timetables becoming meaningless, a travel app showing a bus will arrive and then it disappears and so on. Passengers are sick and tired of the excuses. I ask the Minister to ask the Department of Transport to intervene to ensure the public bodies that have a responsibility to provide a dependable bus service fulfil their duties.
While I am raising issues about the bus service, I want to acknowledge the staff and drivers who are doing their level best. They are on the front line and dealing with very frustrated customers on a daily basis. We hear about BusConnects but we need immediate solutions. I ask the Minister to intervene.
Comment on this
I appreciate the huge frustration in the Cork community with this commuter service. People should expect, with a properly funded service, that it is punctual, reliable and frequent. The National Transport Authority has clear oversight responsibilities for bus operators to ensure that happens. There are various penalties and fines that can be imposed if a particular service does not run properly. I will ask our colleague, the Minister for Transport, to engage with Bus Éireann and the National Transport Authority to ensure the repeated issues the Deputy referenced are dealt with. We are funding our transport system at a record level but performance is critical. As the Deputy said, it is not necessarily a budgetary issue; it is an issue of performance. We will ask for strengthened oversight from the National Transport Authority and the Department of Transport relating to that issue.