Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank all those who have appeared before the committee today. Senator Ó Céidigh fairly summed the issue up a moment ago. At our first meeting on this issue, witnesses with limited mobility appeared before the committee to share their experiences of using public transport. Those experiences were less than flattering in some cases, although some positive experiences were also shared. However, the positive experiences shared were the result of the goodwill of key people working on behalf of the transport companies. That should not be the case. It should not be about who one meets when one turns up at a DART, train or bus station.

We must set key targets for what we want to achieve, by when and how that will be done. Without knowing exactly where one wants to go and the timeframe for getting there, one is unable to put a plan in place. The reduction to four hours of the notice required for usage of the DART by persons with limited mobility has recently been rolled out. Although a reduction from 24 to four hours' notice would normally be welcome, the service users were far from complimentary of the measure. We need to accelerate our efforts to ensure we make public transport accessible for all. The key to that is what our targets are, how they will be achieved and the timeframe for so doing.