2026-06-18

107. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Transport if he will provide an update on measures being considered by his Department, the National Transport Authority and transport operators to improve late-night transport services in north Dublin, including through the expansion of DART+ and other rail and bus services; to address ongoing concerns regarding taxi availability for workers and patrons of the night time economy who are travelling outside normal public transport operating hours; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46292/26]

I want to highlight the urgent need for increased investment in public transport, specifically in north Dublin. I have raised the roll-out of contactless payments and how it has been delayed until 2028 and the need for accurate live updates for when lifts are unavailable for people with mobility or disability needs. I want to ask the Minister about more frequent services, more carriages and the timeline for the roll-out of contactless payments.

Our Department, the NTA and service operators are working hard to deliver improvements to public transport services, including contactless payments and late-night services. We have delivered significant improvements over the past number of years, which should be pointed out. I thank the Deputy for his advocacy and commitment to enhanced public transport. The continued roll-out of the BusConnects network redesign has given passengers across the greater Dublin area more late-night options that ever before. We now have 15 24-hour bus services operating seven days a week across the city. That means the vast majority of the suburbs now have access to a daily round-the-clock bus service. It is a significant change from five years ago, when there was no 24-hour provision at all. In addition, Dublin Bus operates 12 nitelink services between midnight and 4 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, linking the city centre to suburban areas during peak late-night demand. Most other Dublin Bus routes run until 11.30 p.m. daily. Go-Ahead Ireland operates 35 routes across Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow, with most running from morning until midnight. We also have the rail and Luas services running at capacity, with additional late-night trains provided, where possible, during peak periods. We are acutely aware of the benefits these services bring. As the Minister said, it is about reliability and putting public service transport on a sustainable footing. The Deputy's question captures a fundamental shift we must engage in, as a society and on the part of service operators and providers. That shift relates to a movement towards early-morning and late-night working. We must think differently to address the needs of those workers, including workers in the night-time economy. The Deputy's question is a very pertinent one for all of us involved in this area. We have seen change, and more change is needed. I will say more about that in my supplementary response. The Deputy has asked a very good question.

My frustration with the current situation of ghost buses and infrequency of DART services certainly is one of the issues that got me involved in politics. I spoke this morning to a Clongriffin resident who had to run to the end of the platform and squeeze onto the train like a sardine to get to work. I understand there are restrictions on the lines in terms of the size of platforms and how many carriages can be installed but can the frequency of the service be increased? I know there is an unsolvable problem at Connolly Station but I have seen how efficiently run the transport system is in London. I do not have my head in the sky; I acknowledge we have a smaller population, that our country only recently became much wealthier and that we do not have the same infrastructure the UK has in place. However, we now have a lot more money and we have the ability and manpower to do this. A concern is that even with MetroLink being rolled out, residents in north Dublin will still not be able to easily access the airport. The Minister of State will be well aware of the proposals for a monorail or a two-way system to connect the DART line to the airport, in conjunction with the metro, as an alternative solution. Will he comment on that?

The points the Deputy has raised are fundamental to our philosophy in terms of where we want to go with public transport. I was reflecting on that the other day when I was at Cork Airport, where there is an issue with the bus service. The Deputy is right that we need to think differently. The existing transport provision timetable has changed. The Minister is very much committed to bringing new electric and battery-electric trains on stream. Testing of that fleet is under way and we will see an enhanced offering. The Deputy's fundamental point is about our relationship, as a country, with public transport. There are exciting things happening in Cork with the Luas and commuter rail service. We have seen that if we plan and take on board some of what the Deputy has articulated, we can get it right. The Minister, the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, and I are very much committed to what he is advocating this morning. It is about getting people out of their car and onto a bus or train. As the Minister noted, we are seeing record numbers using public transport.

I hope those record numbers continue to rise with the quick roll-out of contactless payment and better accessibility. I welcome the engagement on those matters. I also welcome the increase in the upper age limit for school bus drivers. The community bus service in Dublin has been lost. The No. 88 bus used to be a feeder bus service for Howth and Sutton DART stations. It did a constant loop of Howth Peninsula. Restoring that route would offer safe and convenient transport for families, for children travelling to GAA and football games and to school and for people going to the graveyard in Howth. I ask that the Department give consideration to that. It should also look at providing small-scale bus links within the BusConnects system. In such local micro-systems, the bus is a community service where users see the same people every day. That has been lost in north Dublin. Bringing it back would really benefit people.

I will take the Deputy's points back to the Department. As Minister of State with responsibility for rural transport, I am very aware of the success of Local Link services. There has been an exponential growth in the numbers using those services all across the country. Fundamentally, the Minister, the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, and I are all about ensuring sustainability and stabilisation to enable continued growth. The Deputy is right that the numbers using public transport will rise. The Minister made the point earlier that we are at a pivotal point in the development of our transport system. We welcome the growing demand but, as the Deputy has articulated, it has implications. What we need to do now is take on the winnable parts of public transport provision. We must get rid of the urban congestion we see in many parts of our cities and towns. Resilience and reliability must be built into public transport. I look forward to working with the Deputy on these matters. I have taken notes on what he said and I will take them back to both the NTA and the Department.