33 bus reliability
Deputy O'Donoghue again raised poor reliability on the 33 bus and continued cancellations affecting constituents. The Tánaiste said improving reliability is the priority and that he would raise the route with the Minister of State.
If we wait around long enough in here, two opportunities can come in a day - much like the 33 bus, which I am going to again raise in regard to its reliability. I acknowledge that the Minister's priority is to make the route more reliable rather than increasing the service this year. I also recognise that recruitment challenges and traffic congestion have contributed to cancellations across the 33 fleet. However, these are not new problems, and this is not the first time I have raised these concerns. I continue to receive emails from frustrated constituents about buses that are simply not turning up on a daily basis.
We need to improve the integration of our public transport network across the north county. The 33 bus timetable should be aligned with train services, and the location of Rush and Lusk train station, which is not in Rush or Lusk remains a significant barrier to people accessing public transport on the northern commuter line.
A dedicated Local Link service connecting surrounding communities in Rush and Lusk to the station would greatly improve access and encourage greater use of public transport. I am hoping these issues can be resolved so that my constituents in Dublin Fingal West can have a public transport system they can rely on.
Comment on this
Deputy O'Donoghue is having a busy day. I thank him for raising the issue of the 33 bus again. I take the point that there is always a balance between the reliability of the service and increasing the frequency of it. I know the Minister's aim in the first instance is to improve reliability.
The Deputy has put forward some suggestions as to measures that could be taken that would pass the common-sense test in terms of helping get people to and from train stations and the likes. I am very much aware that he represents a constituency with a growing and young population where investment in public transport is crucial. I will ask the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, to come back to the Deputy in the first instance. I hope we can focus on public transport and bus provision in the forthcoming budget because it has been a challenging year for Local Link and the likes.