Public Transport

The government has a strategic objective to provide a well functioning, accessible and integrated public transport system that:

• enhances competitiveness
• sustains economic progress
• promotes balanced regional development
• contributes to social cohesion

It is important to have a defined standard of public transport that's affordable for both customer and taxpayer.

The government also has an objective to ensure the timely and cost effective delivery of the Public Transport investment programme in line with the outcomes set out in the National Development Plan 2018-2027 as part of Project Ireland 2040.

The National Transport Authority is involved in the supply of various public bus services in Ireland such as Bus Éireann, Dublin Bus and Local Link.

Buses and coaches are classified as Large Public Service Vehicles which include 'vehicles with capacity to carry more than eight passengers for reward'.

Policy oversight for the sector focuses on the:

• licensing framework for Large Public Service Vehicles
• licensing framework for Road Passenger Transport Operators Licences
• policy framework for the operation of bus services for hire and reward including the licensing of scheduled services administered by the National Transport Authority

The National Transport Authority is the national enforcement body for bus and coach passenger rights in Ireland.

Exchequer supports were provided under a Supplementary Support Scheme to Irish Commercial Bus Operators in 2021, with the objective of preserving the continuity of public transport services provided by licensed bus operators during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The rationale for support for the operators within the scheme is the continuing significant impact of the pandemic on passenger numbers and fare revenue, as well as the socio-economic context of maintaining essential public transport networks. In the absence of financial supports these services would not be economically viable, and as was evidenced in the early stages of the pandemic, a removal of such supports would likely lead to a withdrawal of services by the commercial operators.

See below link to the European Union Decision approving the Scheme, which is administered by the Department of Transport in line with the EU’s Temporary Framework for State aid measures to support the economy in the current emergency of COVID-19, and Article 107(2)(b) of the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).

This funding has helped to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Ireland’s commercial bus operators and has ensured the continued operation of these essential services.

Principal Economic Sector: NACE H.49 Land Transport - Bus

Region: NUTS Level II (Code IE04, II05 and IE06)

Type of Undertakings: Small enterprises and Micro enterprises

Click here to read the full details.

While the Scheme was initially approved by the EU on 06 August 2021 with a budget of €15m a subsequent amendment to extend the Scheme received EU approval on 20 December 2021.

Click here to read the full details.

The Irish railway network currently extends to approximately 2,400 km of operational track, with over 4,400 bridges, 144 stations and over 930 level crossings. It served 50.1 million passengers in 2019 following several years of significant growth.

The network comprises lines run by Iarnród Eireann who operate InterCity, regional, commuter and DART services, as well as rail freight services.

There is a responsibility to produce policy and legislation for the economic regulation of railways. The government ensures that the railway market in Ireland complies with EU requirements.

In order to ensure a robust regulatory regime for the railway market in Ireland, the EU requires compliance with rules concerning the establishment of a single railway area, and market access.

In particular, rules have been developed to open the markets for domestic and international rail freight and international rail passenger services. The Fourth Railway Package, which will be transposed into Irish Law in 2020, contains further proposals for the opening of domestic markets.

Small Public Service Vehicles are vehicles with the capacity to carry up to eight passengers (excluding the driver) for reward, and include taxis, hackneys, wheelchair accessible vehicles, and limousines.

The department has responsibility for policy and statutory frameworks for the sector. The National Transport Authority (NTA) is responsible for the operational regulation of the sector.

At Government level, there are some key strategies and policies which progress accessible transport, these include:

• the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), an international treaty which aims to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity.

• the National Disability Inclusion Strategy (2017-2022) (NDIS) which was aimed at improving the lives of people with disabilities. The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) has begun work on developing the successor strategy to the NDIS.

• the Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities 2015-2024(CES) which sets out a 10-year approach to ensure that people with disabilities, who are able to, and want to work are supported and enabled to do so.

• the Sustainable Mobility Policywhich sets out a strategic framework for active travel and public transport in Ireland to 2030.

• the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan, which is a major national public transport initiative developed by the National Transport Authority (NTA), with the aim of increasing connectivity, particularly for people living outside our major cities and towns.

The Accessibility Consultative Committee (ACC) was established under the NDIS and used the DoT Public Transport Accessibility Work Programme to monitor the progress in making public transport more accessible.

The Work Programme (which ran during the lifetime of the NDIS) contains actions from a range of Government strategies which assist in progressively making public transport accessible for persons with disabilities, disabled people, persons with reduced mobility and older people. It was updated every quarter.

Please find more information on Public Transport Accessibility.

The Minister of Transport has responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport.

The NTA has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally. It also has responsibility for integrated local and rural transport, including overall management of TFI Local Link services and the Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan.

Rural Transport Programme - TFI Local Link

The Rural Transport Programme operates under the TFI Local Link brand and aims ‘to provide a quality nationwide community based public transport system in rural Ireland which responds to local needs'. Its key priorities include: addressing rural social exclusion, the integration of TFI Local Link services with other public transport networks, and the provision of better linkage between, and within, towns and villages.

There has been a substantial increase in funding for TFI Local Link services, from €12.2 million in 2016 to €43 million in 2023. The additional funding has enabled the introduction of over 100 new regular commuter services, improvements to door to door services, and new evening/night-time services. The new Rural Regular Services operate at least five times per day, over a 5, 6, or 7-day (per week) schedule. They are designed to connect with other public transport services, improve linkage of services between and within towns and villages and allow onward journeys so people may access education, employment, health, recreational and other opportunities.

During 2022, 2.8 million passenger journeys were recorded on a mixture of demand responsive transport and regular commuter type services.

TFI Local Link services are operated and managed by 15 Transport Co-ordination Units throughout the country. Each office manages the day-to-day requests and delivery of bus services in that area.

For more information, please visit TFI Local Link - Transport for Ireland . The services are also included in the National Journey Planner, which can be accessed at Transport for Ireland .

Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan

The Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan is a major national public transport initiative with the aim of increasing public transport connectivity, particularly for people living outside the major cities and towns. Over 100 rural villages are expected to benefit from frequent public transport service (at least three return trips daily) for the first time. By the end of the plan the NTA expects to see a 25% overall increase in rural bus services, and over 60 new connections to regional cities from surrounding areas.

Collectively, these measures will not only further improve connectivity in the area but will provide viable alternatives to the private car for those living in the region.

The Plan is managed by the NTA and TFI Local Link Offices, with the help of funding from the Department of Transport.

Connecting Ireland was launched in October 2021 with a public consultation phase which ran from October 2021 to December 2021. 38 new services and enhanced services were launched in 2022. The NTA published its assessment of these services.

This is a five year programme, and 67 new services and enhanced services are planned for 2023.

The Connecting Ireland implementation programme for 2023 is available.

New Town Services

The NTA is planning to enhance some existing town services during 2023 and 2024 and introduce entirely new town services in Ennis, Portlaoise, Mullingar and Letterkenny before the end of 2025.

The Carlow town service was launched on 30th July 2023 and is operated by Bus Éireann.