Frank O'Rourke (Kildare North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their presentations. At this point, everything of critical importance has been touched on but it is worth highlighting again the point my colleague, Deputy Calleary, made. It is extremely difficult to see how a company could get to this point and then all of a sudden press the crisis button, as has happened in recent days and weeks. I have worked in companies at senior management level for years. I have engaged with unions and various stakeholders to ensure companies pull through difficult situations in bad times, as we have seen in recent years. It beggars belief to see how the warning signals were there for a number of years but no proper action was taken until now. All of a sudden there is a huge crisis and it is either one extreme or the other.

It is difficult to comprehend. I am speaking from experience rather than looking in from the outside.

Other speakers mentioned having a facilitator. If we are serious about bringing everyone on board to get a positive outcome that protects the staff and the public transport user, we must have facilitators to assist the stakeholders. We must engage with the staff. I have done that myself and my experience is that it works well, but the unions, which represent the staff, cannot be ignored. If we are serious about achieving a positive outcome, given today's information, we must examine all options to bring about that positive outcome and nothing should be excluded. There is no question about it: if Bus Éireann provides an efficient and effective public transport system that connects all areas, both nationally and locally, for instance in my area of Kildare North, it will attract more public transport users. This has been proven. In the past 12 months, I have worked with all stakeholders and we have got improved services on the 115 route from Kilcock and the 120 route from Clane servicing UCD. This has proven successful.

I have one further question. I met representatives of the NTA and we are working towards having improved and additional services on those routes. Additional services in the morning and evening, which have proved hugely successful, have already been delivered. Will those additional services go ahead because the 120 Clane to UCD route is at crisis point at the moment? People are left behind every morning. Will the additional services be funded and put in place or is everything on hold because of the crisis and the panic button that has been pressed over recent weeks?