John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I think the following matter was raised earlier, but it has also been brought to my attention in recent months. I refer to the rural-urban divide. It has come to my attention in Galway where private bus operators from Tuam, Loughrey and parts of County Mayo operate daily services into Galway which is a university town and has a hospital that the licences or the pick-up points used to be determined by An Garda Síochána but are now determined by the local authorities. What is happening, if it has been described to me correctly, needs attention quickly. A lot of pick-up points are not being approved because of safety issues. What we want to do is keep a link between rural areas and the university and other services in Galway city. I am sure the position is the same around the country. It makes no sense that buses are allowed to pick up primary and secondary school pupils along the way but that does not apply to third level students. I understand a lot of the licences will be up for renewal next year. This is going to be a massive issue down the track if private bus companies are put out of business. If a lot of the places I have heard about are not approved as pick-up points on services from Tuam to Galway city, the services will be no more. The idea is to pick up people along the way. To add insult to injury, primary and secondary school kids can be picked up and one imagines that the danger is to them. I would like to hear the NTA's comments on this issue. It may be a matter that has not hit the national airwaves yet, but it is coming down the track at a fast rate.