524. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Transport the operational reasons passengers on Galway city bus services are generally required to exit through the front door rather than using middle doors where available; whether this policy has been reviewed by the National Transport Authority or Bus Éireann; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62919/26]

526. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Transport whether the National Transport Authority has assessed the impact of front-door-only boarding on bus punctuality, dwell times and service reliability in Galway city; and if he will provide the findings of any such assessment. [62917/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 524 and 526 together.

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 and for the scheduling and timetabling of these services in conjunction with the relevant transport operators. As Minister for Transport I continue to engage with the NTA on an ongoing basis in relation to maintaining high operational standards on all forms of public transport.

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