Ms Miriam Flynn:

I would like to explain what constitutes spare capacity. Mr. Kent and Mr. Ó Foghlú have touched on this. We try to ensure we get the maximum utilisation out of all vehicles. Approximately 95% of Bus Éireann vehicles operate more than one trip, morning and evening. The same can be said of more than 60% of contractors. Even though there may be spare capacity on one of the trips, the Department is still getting a more cost-effective network and better value for money. I assure the committee that where capacity exists on a particular route, it is fully utilised to meet the demand that exists for concessionary transport on that route. If there is demand for concessionary transport, any spare places are allocated on that basis. This year, we probably have the highest number of concessionary pupils travelling. The total number is approximately 28,400. We aim to try to utilise capacity as best we can. We also have to look at capacity in the context of the value for money it provides and the utilisation we get out of the individual vehicles. I would like to touch on one other point, which is that there will always be an element of spare capacity. If 35 eligible children present for travel, one has to procure a 50-seater vehicle. There will always be cases in which a certain element of spare capacity exists anyway. The key priority for us is to look at this issue in the context of the amount of utilisation we can get out of the vehicle and the cost that the State would incur if a separate vehicle had to be procured. The two issues of utilisation and cost-efficiency are looked at in tandem.