Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

We are still on the go, with a very small operation. I am conversant with buses and the problems. I welcome the witnesses and thank them for coming. There are issues here, especially for the private operators. Drivers are the issue that every transport operator in County Kerry is talking about, and I know most of them. It is impossible to get drivers. I can understand where Dublin Bus is coming from and see it is able to advertise that it can offer people €800 or so per week. That is grand and I wish it well with that, but people in school transport cannot come near that amount because they are tied into contracts and only have so much. It is not a full-time job and with the cost of living now, people need a full-time job, or maybe a couple of jobs, to keep food on the table or keep going.

There are a few things that would make a difference to private operators providing school transport and we have been asking for them. The 70-year rule means good, capable drivers are parked up and thrown on the scrap heap. It is not right because I see people of that age working in the US and UK. As has been proposed, a medical could be carried out by Bus Éireann or whichever company once or twice a year to ensure these people are fit. No more than everyone else, I want to avoid harm coming to drivers or children, tourists or other bus passengers. We cannot entertain that. I asked the Minister about this issue a year ago and we did not get anywhere. I ask again that this be looked it. These fellows are the grandest, most capable drivers. Driving was their game and what they did for a living but then at 70 years of age they are parked up. It is not right. It is discrimination.