Paddy Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I think that is news to us all. As Senator Garvey said earlier, there are very few posts up, particularly on the main thoroughfares where TFI buses are stopping. They are stopping on the side of the road, but nobody, other than the odd person who uses the service frequently, seems to know that they are stopping there. I agree with Senator Garvey that the signs or posts should go up. That is all that needs to go up. There should also be something provided for bicycles, whereby cyclists can park a bicycle there. In my time, you could leave the bike on the side of the road and it would be there when you came back, but if you did the same thing now it would not be there when you came back, for sure. Something should be provided along with the sign that goes up, because people live downside roads and they are not always able to access transport to get to the public transport. That is probably putting them off using public transport. I am delighted to hear that there is funding available and that the NTA is linking in with the local authorities, because the local authorities need to be pushed. I suppose it is also our duty to call on them to do that.

Ennis is a bit bigger, but there is no public transport within the towns like Castlebar and Ballinasloe, which are a similar same size. The services operate from one or two miles on one side to one or two miles on the far side. The Local Link could link into the outposts of the public transport services, and the public transport services could operate more frequently within the towns to make them more viable. Are there any plans for providing public transport in towns like Castlebar, Ennis and so forth? Is there funding available and are there plans in place for that?