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

I thank Mr. Kent for his answer. All I can say to him is that the private operators out there are saying that they do not want to jeopardise the lives of anyone, young or old. In that vein, they are saying that if the drivers that go over a certain age were medically tested by Bus Éireann's doctors, once or twice a year, surely that would determine whether they were physically and mentally suitable to drive a school bus, or any bus. We have other arms of the State then, those other services that Bus Éireann is providing, where there is no question of being under 70, and they are taking children as well. That is the part of it I cannot understand. It does not make sense to deprive them of doing one job while they can maybe do another.

We will continue on the testing, then put a face or colour on the length of time that people are waiting for a driving test to upgrade their licence - first of all to get a car licence, and second of all to upgrade it to a bus licence, or even a lorry licence. There is no face or colour to think that the whole process could take a year, or year and a half. It is not fair and it is not right, and I do not know who is going to answer me about that side of it. It is absolutely ridiculous, and I can say to the witnesses without fear or favour, whatever the story is about the rest of the country, we are way worse down in Kerry. That is the God's gospel truth. We need fair play in that, because it is wronging youngsters who want to get going and want to get their toes on the ground. In rural Ireland and rural Kerry, one cannot move anywhere without that, regardless of what the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan or the Green Party think. One cannot travel distances on a bicycle in Kerry. One must have a car, and one must start off. I certainly would not condone people not being fit to drive, whether they are young or old, but the situation with the drivers' licences and the testing is not fair, and it is not on. People are being treated unfairly in that regard.

I have one other issue to raise with Bus Éireann or the NTA. We have a situation in the Ring of Kerry where we always had a bus service for the summer months, and we did not have it last week. I am asking what is happening. I have been asked to ask about it. What is happening or going on with that? There is a lot of, we will say, boastfulness by the Government about new routes and that, but where is our old route gone? The Ring of Kerry is the most important route in the whole of the country in terms of tourism, sites to be seen, and keeping jobs and the hospitality sector going. I have been asked to ask that question. Where is that service gone?