149. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Transport the number of reports of “ghost bus” incidents occurring in North Kildare in 2026; the steps being taken by his Department to address the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54201/26]

As Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport; however, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally including the scheduling and timetabling of these services, in conjunction with the relevant transport operators.

The performance of all public transport operators is monitored by the  NTA as part of the contractual arrangements in place between it and the operators. These contractual arrangements allow for not just the monitoring of performance by the NTA and the publication by it of annual performance reports, but importantly, the contracts also allow for the imposition of financial penalties where performance does not meet the required standard.

In light of the NTA’s responsibility in this area, I have forwarded the Deputy's question to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.