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

I welcome our guests and thank them for the time and effort they have put into making the submissions. The one positive thing that has emanated in recent months from the cut proposals and suggestions of new measures to be introduced is that for the first time in a long time we have rural transport fairly high on the political agenda. There is now an acknowledgement on the part of Government and indeed of most stakeholders that something needs to be done because this is not fit for purpose. Does any one of the six gentlemen before us hold one of these 13 hackney licences? No. The fact that there are only 13 clearly demonstrates that this is not fit for purpose. I would be interested to hear about the witnesses' experience. I imagine that their main overhead is the cost of their insurance. What is the average cost of the insurance they pay annually? How has the cost increased in recent years, or has it decreased? I imagine it has increased.

One thing that has repeatedly been said about Uber is that nearly every Uber driver, if one were to listen to some people, is a rogue driver. Uber has used technology to connect people who are willing to provide a service with people who need that service. What we are trying to do - I can only speak for myself - is look at the advancements in technology to provide or connect someone who is willing to provide a service with someone who is in need of that service. Some of the suggestions the witnesses have made this morning can do that. The bottom line, however, is that there are many parts of rural Ireland in particular that have no transport whatsoever.

The Local Link service established on a pilot basis in response to changes in the drink-driving legislation has provided a certain element of service but, given how rural Ireland is settled and populated, it is not able to provide the flexibility needed to go up side roads and byroads. We need to look at how we can establish a flexible public transport service for rural Ireland. I am conscious of what people have said. We cannot dumb down the service or sacrifice standards. We need to ensure any driver who provides the service is of good character and Garda vetted and that the vehicle being used meets the minimum required standards. How do we match all of this and ensure we get a service that is fit for purpose?

I am interested to hear the views of the witnesses on how the subsidy would work. Quite clearly, the reason taxis do not operate in these villages is there is no money to be made in them. If there was I would imagine the witnesses or their members would be operating in them. I am interested to hear how they envisage the subsidy working.

None of the witnesses holds one of the elusive 13 hackney licences. Are any of the 13 people members of the witnesses' representative bodies? Have witnesses spoken to the 13 people? What is the witnesses' main overhead? How do they feel the subvention or subsidy could be paid?