Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is an opportune time to have what is a very important conversation about the future of our country and our contribution to global sustainability. As the Minister of State is aware, a very significant chunk of our carbon emissions arises from our transport sector - just under 20%. There is an extraordinary opportunity presenting to us right now as a country to eat into those emissions and reduce them using public transport. In general, our people are ready to make that change, to effect that modal shift essentially to leave the car at home and begin to avail of the public transport options that are becoming available. We have a major issue with public transport provision in rural Ireland. Yes, it is beginning to happen but it is not happening quickly enough. It is not presenting people with the efficient, reliable kind of public transport opportunities they need finally to leave the car at home. Looking at the excellent research done by Professor Ian Walker in the UK, he concludes that people will simply avail of the most effective, efficient and straightforward opportunity when it comes to getting up in the morning and heading to work. I will give one example where it is not working and that is in the town of Gort in south Galway. There are numerous reports now of Bus Éireann buses turning up in Gort not on time or not on schedule and when they do turn up, they are full. There are people in Gort and all the intervening stops between Gort and Galway city seeing the bus literally driving past the bus stop with no opportunity for them to get on. That is not the kind of transport service we need to present to people if we are to encourage them to make that modal shift, that transfer from the car to public transport. I urge the Minister of State and all Ministers, both at Cabinet and at a junior level, to begin to focus on delivering the kind of efficient, reliable, rural public transport services and opportunities that can convince people it is time finally to leave the car at home and make that shift.

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