Mr. Kevin Traynor:

Deputies Munster and Troy asked about the PSOs. CTTC recognises there will always be a need for PSO services. My point about stifling innovation is that when a private operator looks for a route licence, he is prevented from doing so if a PSO is on it. We need to look at existing PSO funding in the context of population diversification and densities and at the change in social status in some areas. We need to see if PSOs are commercially viable in certain areas and, if necessary, bring them to other areas where they are needed.

I concur with Deputy Fitzpatrick on the park-and-ride infrastructure. A colleague and I parked in Beaumont church today and took public transport from there. If it is affordable and if there is an increased frequency of services, a park-and-ride facility which uses the existing corridors will act as an incentive to people to use public transport going forward. There needs to be an innovative approach to looking at what land use is available, including the use of underground space. Land usage is at a premium in the capital city but there are ways around the problem.

Deputy Fitzpatrick also asked about the transport hub. Dublin is one of the few capitals in Europe that does not have a designated transport hub. A stranger coming to Ireland who does not know that private coaches go to different locations in the evenings and mornings would go to the central transport hub. If there are no alternative State-provided services, that person does not know where to look for the private services. The problem with the existing infrastructure is that there is virtually no surplus capacity. To be realistic about the delivery of public transport and the private input into it, we will have to look at the funding structure to create something.

The coach park is a very good initiative and we welcome it but 50 coach spaces will not make a huge difference at peak times. The other problem is that the planning permission on that location only has a five-year duration and is subject to a number of conditions, one being that if the underground DART facility goes ahead, the planning is revoked. There is no alternative at present.