Bus Services
Dail Éireann — 2026-07-01
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Jerry Buttimer (FG), Cork South-Central

The Deputy is correct. Bus services need to be safe, reliable and accessible. I will take the points he made about the areas he mentioned back to the Minister.
The Deputy referred to active travel. There needs to be collaboration between the NTA and the city and county council with regard to the issue to which he referred, particularly in the context of safety. If we are doing active travel, it makes no sense for it not to be safe for road users, pedestrians and, in particular, bus users. I take the Deputy’s point in that regard and commend him on the work he has done.
The ambition is that there will be a 70% increase in bus services in Limerick. It is about accessibility. I genuinely believe that those who offer bus services across the country do not discriminate on the basis of eircodes or people's location. It is about ensuring that the have shorter waits and more direct routes and about making the network simpler, with a schedule that meets demand. It is also about the out-of-hours time, as the Deputy said, and about having additional services available, whether that is at weekends or in the evening. As Minister of State with responsibility for rural transport, I have seen the success of rural transport. People will use it if it is provided.
Limerick has been leading the way in some areas, including in the context of electric buses. It has 61 zero-emission buses. The NDP to be issued later this year will outline in more detail the aspects of BusConnects Limerick that will be advanced in the period to 2030.
I will take the points the Deputy has made back to the Minister, Deputy O’Brien, and the NTA. It was the issue of the 303 route that he highlighted most, and I will bring that back.
Limerick has been leading the way in some of the areas including electrified buses. It has 61 zero-emission buses. The detailed NDP later this year will outline in more detail the aspects of BusConnects Limerick that will be advanced in the funding to 2030. I will take the points the Deputy has made today back to the Minister, Deputy O’Brien, and to the NTA. It was the issue of the 303 that he highlighted most and I will bring that back.
The Leas-Cheann Comhairle referred to bus services in Kilkenny at Question Time last week. People want to use public transport. We have provided it. The Ministers in the Department work with the NTA. It is about an implementation plan or a roadmap to ensure the new network, in Limerick, in Deputy Quinlivan’s case, is not only being worked on but that new services that can be rolled out incrementally on new routes will be delivered. It is also about staffing and resources being available, particularly drivers. Deputy Ó Laoghaire, who is seated behind Deputy Quinlivan, will know that in Cork we have an issue with staffing in the context of mechanics and drivers.
I will certainly bring Deputy Quinlivan’s remarks back to the Minister. I again thank him for raising the matter.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-07-01/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:06+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-01