Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

However, I agree with Deputy Wall's remarks on the future possibilities. The point is to keep it attached to some existing structures, either the Leader partnership companies or, more probably, the existing rural transport groups. Perhaps in time they should realign themselves because the overheads should be kept down. There are many ways to deliver this service. Some operators do so with buses on a fixed route. Another option I thought of was to have a hackney driver, who would be contracted to be on call between certain hours within a ten-mile radius and to bring anyone to and from a place within that radius. There are many variations on this and as I noted to Deputy Ring, we need flexibility. It certainly fills a gap and my argument from the outset has been to ask whether it is possible to imagine a city without transport after 8 p.m. and to ask what that would do to social life in cities. The big question is why should the countryside be different. We have proved there is a demand for this.

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