Public Transport and Fare Increases: Motion [Private Members]
Dail Éireann — 2026-09-29
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David Cullinane (SF), Waterford

It makes no sense whatsoever in the midst of a cost-of-living squeeze and crisis that the Government would add to people's woes and increase transport costs. There is no justification for it. A 10% increase is a significant additional burden for people who are already finding it very difficult to deal with other rising costs, as the Minister well knows. A government should not be adding to people's stress and problems. The point has been made that we all want to make sure that people have alternatives to the car, for example. We know from all of these proposals in relation to climate action that more investment in public transport is necessary to ensure that the Government and this State meet their climate action targets, which I am afraid we will not because it is always the same. We set these high-level targets and then we do not put the investments in and do not provide people with alternatives, particularly in rural Ireland.
I want to raise two issues in relation to capacity in Waterford city and county. I raised the BusConnects service with him earlier. It just beggars belief that there is so much confusion around that. We are being told that this project could be delayed for up to a year and nobody knows exactly what is happening. I have put in parliamentary questions and still have not had a response. I would appreciate if the Minister could get the Department to come back to me in relation to exactly what is happening because this will mean more bus routes, more connectivity and more options. I was dealing with a parish priest in Waterford city last week who held a public meeting on an issue relating to parents who find it difficult to drop their children off to school because there are no drop-off points. They were using a church car park that can no longer be used. It makes no sense. The priest says that BusConnects is part of the solution.
I have one final point. Waterford City and County Council are waiting for 11 bus shelters for a year and half. What the hell is going on?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-09-29/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-10-05T01:00:59+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-29