Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the representatives from the National Transport Authority and the Kerry bus contractors who are present. The concept of the community rural bus service was to provide a State-funded transport service for unserviced rural areas, with a scheduled timetable if at all possible. This is a huge diversion which has massive consequences for the bus contractors to whom I referred. A total of 43% of their commercial business has been taken from them, with regard to Bus Éireann school contracts. It is quite obvious the playing field is not level and the contractors are up against State subsidies. I estimate that between 2014, this year and next year €500,000 in subsidies will be paid over. The bodies involved include Pobal and the Department of Social Protection through various schemes. I would like confirmation this State funding is provided for vehicle maintenance costs and for insurance and tax payments. The Kerry bus contractors are fully taxed and do not have charitable status.

The bus contractors would not be here today and would not have had meetings throughout the summer unless they were very concerned about their small businesses, their employees and their families. They have given a top-class service to Bus Éireann down through the years and everybody has been witness to this. They are upgrading their fleets and doing their utmost to deal with all of the impediments they face at present. We are here today at this democratic committee to seek fair play, which is what democracy is all about, but we are not practising it. As Deputy Griffin stated, the National Transport Authority has complete oversight and is the responsible body. The buck must stop somewhere and as far as we are concerned, it stops with it.

Is the National Transport Authority the body which adjudicates on operating licences? On what basis has it granted licences for community bus transport? Are conditions written in from the beginning? I am not speaking about the most current licences or those from 2006 but those from prior to that. In 2000 and 2001, when the scheme was started, what was the situation regarding clauses and conditions in the operating licences for companies? If changes were made, what was the reason?

This is comparable to Dublin Bus, which is also under the jurisdiction of the National Transport Authority. Will the witnesses compare Dublin Bus services to community bus services? Is there any connection or are they in tandem? Is what is given to community bus services different to what is given to Dublin Bus services?

Does the National Transport Authority communicate with the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission and Pobal on this? The authority needs to give further clarification to clear the air and provide transparency. From here on, the authority needs to quickly advance on this and resolve the matter. Genuine people in the transport business are losing their jobs. What is happening at present will mean the closure of some of these businesses in the short and medium-term. These buses also provide a service in villages with regard to licensed premises and public houses but many of these are closing down, which is another loss to the bus service providers. They are up against it.