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routes, even though these routes are often the only public transport options in rural towns and villages such as those in north Tipperary and north-west Kilkenny. Commercial operators play a central role in our transport system. The private bus sector is responsible for carrying over 75 million … times would reduce annual emissions by more than 14,000 tonnes. We cannot credibly ask families to leave the car at home if public transport for their children is more expensive simply because they live outside big cities or large rural areas. Importantly, there is an easy

every day on public transport in this country. Hundreds of thousands of commuters are trying to get to and from work, and the State should make that journey as easy as possible. I have been very vocal in my critique of the increase in fares that is coming

Ireland for public transport, it compares very favourably with our European counterparts. We have broadened free services with children up to the age of nine getting free travel, the senior free travel and the companion pass, which is being rolled out. We keep the fare structure

said about fares being 8% lower than what they were eight years ago is also a fact. The Deputy asked about improving services. This year, we have spent €941 million in delivering PSO services. If we look at the increased number of people using public transport, that

because public transport has not been expanded over the years as it should have been. As a result of this failure and lack of planning, some parents and children have no choice but to use a commercial operator. They were included in the young adult fare scheme

making fares fairer. It is for some people, definitely, but for the people I represent in Dublin Fingal West, since Darragh O'Brien became transport Minister, the cost of commuting from Balbriggan and Skerries has increased by over €400 per annum. The cost for children using public transport

fare. For most of the year, I have been taking questions from Deputies, all of whom want additional services, be that additional bus or train services, better facilities and so on. We have to have a sustainable basis for funding extensive enhancement and expansion of public transport into

Government is strongly committed to enhancing transportation networks and infrastructure development and public transport plays a key role in the delivery of this goal. To support this objective, under budget 2025 the Department of Transport secured €658.442 million of funding for PSO and TFI Local Link services. This … will be interested to hear the Deputy's reply on that. I reassure her that all of us - the Department of Transport, the NTA and the public transport operators - must work to ensure the customer has a reliable service, as she has outlined, and the resources will meet

economy too and deserve access to modern public transport. A network designed on the basis that all roads lead to Dublin is destined for failure. In Kerry, we know too well what happens when regional transport is treated as an afterthought. We are not asking for luxury … cannot persuade people out of their cars if there is no train available, or achieve modal shift if communities have no realistic public transport alternatives. We cannot lecture people about reducing emissions if we fail to provide the infrastructure that will allow them to do so. Railway investment

will need to get out. On the one hand, the Government says that it wants us out of our cars and to use public transport, which is a very noble and worthwhile endeavour. However, I do not know how the Minister of State imagines my constituents feel when … that the station that serves Rush and Lusk is taken into the Dublin city commuter zone. This is really welcome. It means reduced fares, which is really important. However, those people who use trains that leave from Skerries or Balbriggan have been taken out of the Dublin city

Minister about the child fares that will be reduced in the upcoming budget. I also ask about the price hikes that have recently been announced. In particular, does the Minister of State have any response to the response of the NTA at the transport committee that these price … hikes will inevitably lead to fewer people using public transport? We are in a cost-of-living crisis and I believe it is the wrong approach for the Government to take to allow the increases

providing all citizens with reliable and useful sustainable travel options and public transport is an important part of that. BusConnects is critical to that offering. In budget 2025, €658 million of funding for public service obligation, PSO, in my case was obtained through the Department for Local Link … services, which represents an increase from the €613 million. However, we have been encouraging young people through the fare reduction, the young adult card on commercial bus services and the 90-minute fare until the end of this year. There is also funding for those aged between five

public transport services in rural areas, particularly among our young people and vulnerable members of our community or those at risk of social isolation. Measures addressing this issue were a key component of Our Rural Future and reflected the Government's strong commitment to improving rural transport connectivity … these communities. That is probably why Government decided to make me the first Minister of State at the Department of Transport with responsibility for rural transport. The programme for Government includes a commitment to publish and implement a new our rural future policy from 2026. I am pleased

communities that depend on visitors to sustain local economies and jobs. As a rural TD, I can tell the Minister of State that public transport, as he will know, is scarce. Tourists rely on private bus operators to bring them to towns along the Wild Atlantic … fuel costs will make these trips unviable for operators or that they will become so expensive that tourists simply will not come. Higher fares mean fewer visitors, and fewer visitors mean fewer jobs. If the routes are cut, rural Ireland pays the price. The Government should be doing

barely a year in office and is already on track to be one of the worst Governments on record when it comes to public transport. It depends on right-wing rural TDs who could not care less about commuters in Dublin or elsewhere. All they want is more … that corporate capture and the long-fingering of projects like DART+ South West and Luas Finglas and the absence of new funding for public transport services this year. The anti-working-from-home trend is going to make things worse. Every fat cat billionaire from Denis O'Brien

continuing our investment through the Department of rural affairs in our rural communities. The community and voluntary sector has benefited greatly in our public realm through town and village renewals schemes and beyond and in our sports capital programmes. We see that investment in every community the length … economy and population. County Kildare has doubled in population since 1991, with the growing pains that brings for our transport sector and for those commuting - delivering fairer fares with changes to the short hop zone and delivering for small and medium-sized businesses which employ people and create

airport, be it for business, pleasure or education purposes. I will illustrate some of the difficulties involved. If people want to use public transport to access Dublin Airport, they travel on the C1 or C2 into the city centre and then transfer to route … real scope and opportunity to build on the success of those orbital routes, build on the very positive public disposition there is towards using public transport and providing a very direct link for people who live in Lucan and people who live in Palmerstown to allow them

need to look at making it accessible not only for those with disabilities but also for everyone to encourage them to use public transport. People are like water. They go the fastest route. If you are on the way home, and you see that … hold the NTA and all of the transport authorities to account to ensure that was is promised is delivered. I welcome the recent statements. The response back from the Oireachtas NTA-line has definitely got faster but public representatives, councillors and TDs need to have more

extending free travel for children reliant on commercial bus operators. While the NTA is responsible for licensing commercial bus services, any decisions regarding fares charged by these services are managed by commercial bus operators themselves, who largely operate without State subvention. Notably, the young adult card scheme … individual operators choosing to participate and the NTA compensating them for the agreed discount. We must encourage and provide for the continuation of public transport for people in rural areas, in particular. As the Minister of State with responsibility for rural transport, I was in Kilkenny this morning

system in the history of the State and is managed by the NTA. The aim of the network is to improve the existing Transport for Ireland system through enhanced services with high frequency spines and new local, orbital and radial routes. The recently launched F spine, providing routes … local public representatives. It is acknowledged that these changes require some passengers to make their journeys in a different way. In some cases, customers now benefit from direct services where transfers were previously required, while others may need to interchange. The TFI 90 fare ensures that transfers incur

agreed discount and the fare that was forgone, effectively. This was done to ensure that young people benefited from the reduced fares across both subsidised and participating commercial services. Perhaps there is some hope for the Deputy in the fact that this has happened from a young adult … does that, I will make sure it gets into the hands of the Minister for Transport, who has asked me to reaffirm that the Government remains committed to making public transport as accessible and affordable as possible, while also ensuring that our system remains financially sustainable

Citywest for spaces. The Government is saying this is to encourage a greener society and get people to use public transport but the public transport does not exist. There is an inadequate train network and the buses keep being missed. The P29 express service, for example, was missed … routes. All over my constituency, the buses are not turning up. The National Transport Authority is not accountable to anyone and is not fit for purpose. If the Government is also increasing the fares, it is giving a big middle finger to people in my constituency. Where

benefit to Drogheda. Rail services have improved. There has been a 40% increase in passenger numbers on the hourly Enterprise service. The fairer fares initiative last year significantly reduced costs for commuters, particularly rail commuters, in Drogheda and Dundalk, which was widely welcomed but was not mentioned … Dundalk under the urban regeneration and development fund for public realm works and housing activation measures. That is all really good. Great new communities are growing up in the area and they need to be supported by public transport. There is a logic to having a station

that there will be improved and better services as a result of these fare increases? I do not believe there will be. The fare increases clearly should not go ahead in a cost-of-living crisis. They should be put off for another time. The Government should … last year. The Government did not even have a transport plan published for this year until around this time last year. It shows a lack of enthusiasm, a lack of initiative, and a lack of priority for public transport

public transport, that more people can access it, that we are encouraging more people, whether it is through buses, trains or cycleways, and that we are able to provide that investment as well. There is significant investment, through the national development plan and the Department of Transport … might need them most, while at the same time trying to get that balance right. I appreciate that nobody wants to see their fares going up, but in a review of some of the rail lines, what we have seen - even in my own constituency - is that fares