Minister O’Brien publishes third annual progress report on the National Sustainable Mobility Policy Action Plan 2022-2025

Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien has published the third annual Progress Report on the implementation of the National Sustainable Mobility Policy (SMP) Action Plan 2022-2025, alongside a report of the National Sustainable Mobility Forum, which took place in May.
The Progress Report summarises the substantial progress made since the SMP was launched in 2022. It highlights the achievement of significant milestones in the third year of the Policy’s implementation, including:

• 41.3% of the Public Service Obligation (PSO) bus fleets in Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford are now low- and zero-emission vehicles, surpassing the target of 40% - with Limerick becoming the first city in Ireland to have a fully electric fleet. 
• The number of Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles (WAVs) in the Small Public Service Vehicle (SPSV) fleet has increased by 25.5%, above the target of 25%. 
• The Independent Travel Support scheme, which assists passengers with additional needs to develop skills to use public transport independently, has now been expanded to Galway, Limerick, Cork, and Waterford, building on its success in Dublin.
• Public transport passenger numbers reached an all-time high in 2024, reinforced by the October 2024 announcement that daily journeys across PSO services had reached a record level, surpassing one million trips per day.
• TFI Local Link services also continued to show year on year growth, with 4.7 million journeys completed in 2024—an increase of almost 47% compared with the previous year. This very significant increase was supported by the 45 new and enhanced services introduced under the SMP’s Connecting Ireland Rural Mobility Plan.
• An expansion of the TfI regional bike scheme in Limerick and Cork ensured continued growth in public bike trips, with a year-on-year increase of 23% across the four regional cities in 2024, and a 51% increase in the first five months of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024. 
• More than 1,000 km of Active Travel and Greenway infrastructure was delivered between 2020 and 2025, with the targets for regional cities and non-metro areas hugely surpassed. 
• 507 bus shelters have been installed for regional and rural services since 2022 — more than double the original target of 200.

The Progress Report shows that close to 70% of the actions set out in the Action Plan will be delivered by end-2025, with significant progress also made on the remaining actions. A detailed progress update on each of the 91 actions is provided in Annex 1.
Speaking about the publication of the Progress Report, Minister O’Brien said:
“I’m delighted to publish the third annual progress report on the National Sustainable Mobility Policy. This report highlights the achievements that have been delivered to create a cleaner, more connected and more inclusive transport system for Ireland. Over the past year, we’ve seen electric buses enter service across the country, huge strides in the delivery of major walking and cycling infrastructure projects, record-breaking public transport passenger numbers and a continued and concerted effort to deliver meaningful progress across all actions in the SMP Action Plan.
“Delivery isn’t easy, even when our collective ambition is high, but I want to reiterate that this Government’s commitment to sustainable mobility is stronger than ever. Through the National Development Plan, we’ve allocated €24.33 billion to the sector up to 2030, including a ringfenced €2 billion to commence MetroLink, the most ambitious and transformational transport project ever seen in this country.
“Looking ahead, we will build on this momentum with a new SMP Action Plan for 2026–2030. This next phase will realise the Programme for Government’s vision for sustainable mobility, helping us to deliver a green, safe, affordable and reliable transport network that serves every corner of our country, and leaves no one behind. It’s a challenge we’re ready to meet, and one that will benefit generations to come.”
Minister of State with responsibility for International and Road Transport, Logistics, Rail and Ports, Séan Canney, said:
“We’ve made significant strides in public transport accessibility, for urban and rural communities alike, and for those with additional needs. This year, we’ve seen the rollout of the new Portlaoise Town service and the enhanced Sligo Town service, with services in the planning stages for Mullingar and Ennis.
“The Independent Travel Support service, now extended to all regional cities including Galway, offers practical support to help individuals with additional needs to travel independently. It’s a simple but powerful initiative that opens up opportunities and builds confidence.
“With public transport usage reaching record levels in 2024, our focus remains on expanding services while ensuring they are inclusive and responsive to the needs of all passengers."
The development of the next Action Plan is well underway.  Stakeholder engagement on this process commenced with four National Sustainable Mobility Forum events in May of this year. Alongside the SMP Progress Report, the Minister has also published the Facilitator’s Report from this Forum, which summarises the contributions made by participants across all four events.