Commuters in parts of Dublin and Galway will see significant improvements on some of their busiest bus routes from today.

The chairman of the Public Accounts Committee has criticised one of the country’s most senior civil servants for making “zero effort to answer the questions” posed by the committee regarding the Public Services Card.

Trade unions said the Department of Transport could not walk away from the crisis at Bus Éireann, after a consultant’s report suggested as many as 500 jobs were under threat due to its poor financial position.

PUBLIC transport users outside the greater Dublin area will have to wait until next year to enjoy the benefits, including cheaper fares, of the long-awaited integrated smart card which was formally launched yesterday.