Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The witnesses may write down some of the things I will be asking because I would like direct answers.

Why does Bus Éireann not outline on its tender documents, for any size bus on any route, that each year it will be subject to the number of people who will be travelling on it? Why has Bus Éireann not got a system that in May or June, the numbers of people who are eligible or discretionary are applied for and that it knows its figures by July to allow it put on whatever bus is suitable for each route? This was discussed with Mr. Martin Nolan of Bus Éireann when he was before a committee.

In a private business, that is how one makes money instead of leaving people standing on the side of the road or a youngster coming on after three more of them going on a bus. It is bread and butter in any business as to how a person does tender. With tender documents, a person must give him or herself the flexibility to have all the differently sized buses priced in on that route and that each year it is subject to A, B, C, depending on the number of people travelling and it is a three-year contract. However, it must also be written down - meaning there is no comeback for the subcontractor - that any child who may not have a medical card but wants to go to school is facilitated. Funnily enough, the buses are passing by and they are giving Bus Éireann but they do not want to take it. I am baffled at Bus Éireann's system. Whoever is in charge needs to have a damn good look at how it does its tender documents.

Bus Éireann is hiring a significant number of subcontractors on its routes with no meters on some of the buses. Why is that? Is it because it has no workers to drive its buses?

The size of the buses on different routes varies. On some routes, Bus Éireann uses a 53 seater when a 19 seater would do. It needs smaller buses for certain routes. I cannot understand why it is not buying them for efficiency. The whole country is on about carbon but there are large buses going up and down the roads with only a few people in them. I am a contractor. I do not send the largest tractor in the world to work the smallest field. I adjust accordingly. As is required, I can move it up and down. Bus Éireann has statistics on the numbers travelling on different routes, day in, day out.

I heard the views of two people this morning who are in favour of electric cars. Going on what I heard from them, I would not like an electric bus. People should know that the bus procurement budget has to be increased by 25% if we opt for electric. From what I have heard about hybrid diesel, particularly in the heavy vehicle sector, the diesel part will be used most of the time. There is no point in codding ourselves. For between €17,000 and €20,000, a heavy vehicle can be converted to gas. Why has it not been examined? Gas is probably the only way forward for the next 12 years until they perfect the hybrid diesel system. How many straight diesel buses has the company bought in the past two years?

School buses work a few hours day and are parked up for the rest. Why is there not joined-up thinking between the NTA and Bus Éireann for using them for local services such as Local Link?

Ms Graham earlier spoke about the numbers using bus shelters. Essentially, if three people get on a bus in Ballinlough, County Roscommon, and 23 get on at Mullingar, due to financial constraints, the passengers in Ballinlough will be down the ladder when it comes to getting a bus shelter. I want a straight answer to that. If that is the way, there are parts of rural Ireland which will never see a bus shelter. We are as well to be straight with them without announcements and people thinking they will get a bus shelter.

Is it correct that the NTA has nothing to do with the western rail corridor or any train service outside of the greater Dublin area? I have travelled on the DART several times.

I understand the State has a lot of land extending out to Dublin Airport and I understand from talking to people in Irish Rail that there could be a spur from the DART to Dublin Airport. We keep going down this road of tunnelling, which would cost a massive amount of money. I worked on tunnelling, so I understand a bit about it. We talk about 15 years to 20 years time. The figures I am hearing from people in the rail sector is that €200 million to €250 million could solve it in the context of the DART. Why is that not being considered?

Could the witnesses elaborate on why per capitapeople in rural parts of Ireland have less money spent on them compared to those in the city of Dublin in the context of public transport? Am I correct in saying that the envisaged RuralLink service will pick people up at 8 p.m. and bring them home at 11 p.m.? If one was in any other part of the country, one could get a bus at 9 p.m., or at 10 p.m. if one was in the city. One might go to the pub at 11 p.m. and go home at 12 p.m. Is one going to be restricted to a certain length of time?

I would like the witnesses to comment on the anti-social behaviour we are hearing about at the moment and on what they intend to do in terms of protecting buses and the rail network.

The witnesses spoke about future plans involving Galway County and City Councils. There was talk in the national planning framework of a Luas-type system in Galway. What will happen in Galway over the next ten years? At the moment, Galway is chaotic. Will there be a Luas-type system in Galway in the next ten years because as far as I can see, there will not be? Galway needs bus corridors, of which we are all well aware. What concrete actions are being taken in Galway?

To go back to the western rail corridor, to Galway, Tuam, Athenry and Claremorris and to the line that is closed, Ms Graham said it had nothing to do with her. She said to Deputy Kenny that she did not envisage any new rail lines being opened under this plan, which is a ten year plan. Will a Minister have to make a decision to do this?