Public Transport
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-26
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Darragh O'Brien (FF), Dublin Fingal East

I am pleased that people are responding and using public transport at rates we have not seen previously. That is good. I acknowledge that particularly on certain routes, there are issues. A cancellation rate of up to 8% in a month on the 238 route is unacceptable. I will raise that matter directly with the operators.
The operators do get fined and significant fines are levied on them for non-performance. I have the 2024 figures for Go-Ahead Ireland, which are the most recent figures I have for a full year. It was fined well over €1 million. That money is then reinvested.
Bus Átha Cliath is running a jobs campaign at the moment. They are good, secure jobs with good in-house training. There is good career advancement. The Deputy said the situation is ridiculous if we cannot find people to work in those jobs. There are nearly 3 million now working in the economy. The economy is going well. People are well-trained and well-educated. There is a pro-enterprise Government. That does pose strains. I am not in any way dismissing the point the Deputy has made, particularly about the 238 bus. I will look specifically at that matter. I have a meeting on 18 March with bus operators and other stakeholders about congestion.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-26/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:42+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-26