Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank everyone for their input and apologise if I cross over some other members' contributions, which sometimes happens. The national sustainable mobility policy aims to align sustainable mobility with climate change and road safety considerations in a co-ordinated manner. The national sustainable mobility policy oversight group will review, develop and update existing guidelines, standards and supporting legislation. Do its terms of reference include disability rights as well as universal design?

The Dublin Bus fleet is said to be 88% wheelchair accessible and it is nearing 100%, but there is space for just one wheelchair and a buggy. Was there not a plan to add a second wheelchair space? I have dealt with cases where two or three wheelchair users were waiting at a bus stop, so it is unfortunate there is just one space. Moreover, if someone is occupying the space, the drivers find it very hard to get them out of it. There needs to be a better warning system for that on buses. I have seen many drivers get terrible abuse as a result of this and they are not allowed leave their seat, obviously, for safety reasons. They do not want to have to confront any individual but I have seen them get terrible abuse, even where they sit. I assume there is a system that can be used to alert the Garda. Perhaps that needs to be examined with a view to making it work better because I have found it does not seem to bring the Garda quickly enough when it is used. I would appreciate some information on that.

On access to Dublin Airport, we have talked about metro north for years and people with disabilities could avail of it. We have engaged with the NTA for years on the issue of metro north, a Luas to Finglas or whatever. We get so many plans but none of them moves ahead, perhaps for financial reasons, yet we have spent a fortune. Something like €300 million has been spent on metro north or whatever it is, with consultation after consultation. People who have a disability need to be able to go across the city on a proper rail system. This brings me to what Ms Graham was saying about the new DART trains coming in 2026, where an automatic sliding door will be deployed on the platform to bridge the gap, and that is badly needed. Even in train stations, when you are stepping off the train, you have a terrible fear you are going to fall through the gap, and for wheelchair users that is very frightening. It will be very good if that goes ahead and I hope it will become the norm eventually.

I observed something in Majorca and would like to hear the witnesses' thoughts on it. It relates to the way bank cards are used on the buses. You tap your card and it registers one passenger, and you can pay for up to four people with one card. It is half the price. When you are getting off the bus, you do the same. I know that people who have free travel have their own cards, but this could open up the bus to a lot more people. It is just something to think about. It was a fantastic system and nearly everyone was using it, even wheelchair users.

The N4 and the N6 are fabulous and there have been great improvements on the bus services and the linkages. The availability of the buses is fantastic and they are all wheelchair accessible, which is an added advantage.

I notice, too, that Dublin Bus is advertising for women. It is having a problem with women drivers, which is a bit disappointing. It has an awful problem getting them. This is just something I had observed.

The National Transport Authority, NTA, decides where shelters and bus stops go. It used to be the local authority had some input and I know residents get very worked up over this. I only dealt with one the other day up in McKee Avenue in Finglas where residents went mad when they discovered a stop will be placed outside their door. They had not expected this because there seemed to be plenty of distance but this was for the new route which was coming along. I believe the NTA needs to be a great deal more careful in how it deals with people in those situations.