Kieran O'Donnell (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have limited time and the Chairman has been indulgent. It is impossible to assess the provision of public transport properly without empirical evidence on the use of the free travel pass. What is the breakdown, how often are these passes used, what routes are they used on and how many holders are OAPs or on disability or carer’s allowance or companion passes? The figure of 700,000 is well over three quarters of the total number. Why can the Department not issue a direction to all bus operators to install a computer system under which someone using their services must swipe? Within a week, we would have empirical data that, instead of seeing us taking a stab in the dark, would allow for a proper assessment.