Mr. Seamus Egan:

I thank the Chairman and members of the committee for their invitation to attend today to discuss the accessibility of public transport for people with disabilities, the current status and future provision as it relates to Luas and Transdev Dublin Light Rail.

Firstly, I will give the committee a brief overview of Luas and Transdev’s involvement in Luas since its launch in 2004. Luas is a state-of-the-art light rail transit system that provides an accessible, attractive and unique mode of public transport in Dublin. Compliant with current accessibility and environmental standards for transport systems, it offers accessibility for all. This philosophy has been a cornerstone of the design and development of the system from the initial phases of the project. Luas operates two main lines serving the north, south and west of Dublin city, the red line and the green line. The red line is 20 km in length, has 32 stops and runs from Tallaght-Saggart to the Point-Connolly. The green line is 24.5 km in length, has 35 stops and runs from Bride's Glen to Broombridge through the city centre. All Luas stops and trams are wheelchair accessible.

Transdev operates Luas under contract to the National Transport Authority and Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII. It is a privilege for Transdev to operate a safe, reliable form of public transport carrying some 103,000 passengers on average per day. Transdev are experts worldwide in operating transport systems, including light rail, buses, shuttles and taxis. It is our view that developing accessibility in public transport would include a number of key objectives including consultation with the relevant advocacy groups at design stage. TII and Transdev, through the Luas disability users' group - members of which attended this committee on 13 December - engage with relevant stakeholders to ensure that Luas and future Luas extensions are designed to meet the needs of all the public. Design for accessibility on Luas has focused on people with mobility and sensory impairments. Well thought out surfacing, furniture, stop facilities, clear signage, audio announcements and destination displays all serve to make the system easier to navigate.

I will now turn to the review with the relevant advocacy groups during construction. The Luas disability user group is consulted throughout construction and on-site visits take place to inspect and review solutions. Amendments to design are agreed and implemented as required. This approach greatly reduces the requirement for retrofitting solutions post construction. There are agreed formal processes for developing accessibility further during operation Luas with disability user group meetings take place on a quarterly basis. TII, Transdev and the relevant advocacy groups meet and review Luas operations and develop accessibility solutions. TII and Transdev have been proactive in establishing procedures and implementing staff training and awareness initiatives, which further enhance the accessibility of the system.

With regard to working in collaboration, Transdev strongly believes that in order for Dublin and Ireland to be seen as a world class transport provider, it requires all stakeholders to work together and to share best practise and key learnings. We are delighted to be members of the transport integration group set up and run by the National Transport Authority. Already we are seeing the benefits of having key transport providers sitting at the same table exploring ideas and sharing potential solutions to common challenges.

We thank the committee for its invitation and we welcome the opportunity to discuss the issues raised on the 13 December 2017 by the transport users. We understand that Luas is not perfect. There are improvements to be made in areas such as audio announcements at key times and locations. Through regular and formal consultation we aim to meet the needs of all transport users, to deliver a transport system that is as equally convenient for a person with a disability or a carer, as it is for the rest of society so that anyone can use public transport to get on with his or her life, without additional challenges or having to rely on the kindness of strangers.

I note the Chairman's comment on the chief executive attending, and I will take this back to the chief executive. This concludes my statement and I am happy to take any questions.