National Transport Authority

The National Transport Authority is a statutory non-commercial body in Ireland, operating under the aegis of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. The Authority has responsibility for securing the provision and regulation / oversight of public passenger land transport services. This includes providing state-subsidised bus and rail services via Bus Éireann, Dublin Bus and Irish Rail, and providing tram services by contract, with the RPA to Luas. The Authority licenses commercial bus services and regulates the small public service vehicle sector (taxis, hackneys, limousines). It also manages the Rural Transport Programme and the successor structure of Transport Co-ordination Units. It provides integrated / multi-modal ticking (Leap Card), journey planning information, real-time-passenger-information, mapping etc, and is moving toward improved integration of public transport fares in Ireland. The Authority prepares statutory submissions on Regional Planning Guidelines and makes submissions on other significant planning proposals, nationally, and in the Greater Dublin Area ((Counties Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow) it undertakes strategic planning of transport invests in all public transport infrastructure and develops the effective management of traffic and transport demand. It collects and publishes statistical data and information on transport, and enforces EU passenger rights in rail, maritime and bus and coach transport. In addition to these statutory functions the Authority also undertakes a number of functions on behalf of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport on a non-statutory basis. These include: planning and funding sustainable transport projects in Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford, administering the Smarter Travel Workplaces programme, managing the Green Schools Travel programme; and providing accessibility funding to transport operators and other relevant bodies.