Has the Minister recently met with Bus Éireann in Cork city, and is he aware of the frequent delays and cancellations of bus services, which increased before the Christmas period and are still ongoing?

I reassure the Deputy that I and my Department have regular engagement with Bus Éireann at all levels, including at CEO level, on issues such as governance, finance, investment, safety and service provision. I last met the chairwoman of Bus Éireann on 27 September last.

I am aware of the ongoing public transport service issues in Cork city and the negative impact they are having on the travelling public. Bus Éireann has advised that these issues are due largely to congestion, traffic delays and roadworks in the city centre, which are all leading to longer journey times.

Bus Éireann is working with the NTA in re-examining what steps can be taken this year to improve service provision in the city. The recent introduction of the MacCurtain Street public transport improvement scheme on 26 November last and subsequent timetable refreshes represent a significant investment into Cork city. I recognise, however, that there is still work to be done to build on these incremental changes. In particular, service reliability and punctuality enhancements for routes 220, 225 and 226 are being reviewed by the NTA and Bus Éireann with a view towards additional timetable updates later in the first or second quarter of this year.

The NTA is also working with key local stakeholders such as Cork City Council and An Garda Síochána to assist in the development and enhancement of more reliable and efficient public transport in the city, as well as the enforcement of local traffic and parking by-laws.

Cork is a growing city and needs a bus network that works for its increasing population. The Cork metropolitan area transport strategy was developed by the NTA in collaboration with TII and Cork's city and county councils. A key part of this programme is BusConnects Cork.

The NTA launched its new design for the Cork metropolitan bus network in June 2022. The new network, which is part of BusConnects Cork, is intended to transform public transport across the Cork metropolitan area with the creation of new bus routes and improved bus frequencies to meet anticipated growth and future demand. The BusConnects Cork programme will provide better walking, cycling and bus infrastructure for 11 key access corridors in the Cork region to transform the public transport network, making it safer, faster and more sustainable for everyone in the city.

I have engaged extensively with BusConnects because I believe Cork needs it, but it needs to be a BusConnects that delivers. We are working very closely with the NTA on that. Buses in Cork are being cancelled and delayed. People have no faith in the service at present. I met Bus Éireann before Christmas to explain to it that more and more people are getting into their cars because they do not trust the service. It has never been as bad as it is now. During the meeting I was told the drivers were not the issue. A person contacted me to tell me that recently 14 buses did not have a driver. The drivers are doing brilliant work, but if there are not enough of them we cannot have a proper bus service. Will the Minister provide additional funding to Bus Éireann in Cork to take on drivers?

We need more drivers. The key thing we can do to help the bus service in Cork and around the country is to deliver the BusConnects network because no amount of drivers will be able to work-----

That will not be for years. I am talking about now.

We need to look at that. As I said earlier, we have carried out two years of consultation. In my mind, there is broad political support for the BusConnects network.

In terms of what we need to do, I would look to accelerate that in order to get it into planning this year rather than next. That is one of the ways we could accelerate it. That will involve pushing all of the levers flat out to get things done. The programme will still have to go through planning and construction. During Covid, Cork rearranged a lot of streets because of the immediate crisis. We should consider that on an interim basis while we are waiting for the full BusConnects infrastructure to be rolled out. Cork's city and county councils should consider what interim measures can be put in place, similar to what happened during Covid, to implement some of the measures of BusConnects while we are waiting for it to get through the full planning system.

We want BusConnects, but it will take years. These are the facts. Today, people in Cork are not getting buses because they are delayed or have been cancelled. I need an answer from the Minister today. Will he provide additional funding for bus drivers?

A young man going to college every day needs to take the 201 bus service. Nine days out of ten, the bus never turns up or is delayed. How can a person depend on that service? A lady in Ballyvolane looked at the app last week, which told her that the bus was cancelled. She walked home to get her car to drive to work and the bus passed her by on the road. The app is not accurate. That must be fixed. People cannot get to work, college, school or hospital. I was in CUH recently and spoke to people who were waiting on buses in the freezing cold. Elderly and sick people told me the bus service in Cork is not dependable.

The Deputy is absolutely correct: the bus service in Cork has to become more dependable. That requires new investment in drivers, as well as new buses and facilities. It also requires us to improve the conditions in which buses operate so that those drivers are not stuck in traffic. That is my key point. Delivery for the likes of BusConnects corridors is frustratingly slow, but it is the right way to go and we should work collectively to see how we could accelerate that because, ultimately, that is the best solution for those people the Deputy has cited who want a better bus service.