Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I was intrigued by the issue of the ridership survey, considering it was conducted nine years before I was born and things have moved on a bit in public transport usage in the country since then. Further to Deputy Barry raising the matter, what would such a survey entail? How would it work? What reference period would be required to get an accurate reading of usage?

Recently, I was approached by an older person who has a travel pass but is living in a rural area and never uses it because no public transport is available. That person suggested to me there should be compensation of an equivalent average amount to pay for taxis or the provision of private transport. Is there a subsidy or payment in respect of people who do not use public transport that would need to be factored in?