Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)

I was prompted to raise this issue in response to calls to my office and to Deputy Brian O'Shea's office with regard to the probable cessation of the rural bus service between Waterford and Cork. This is a service which specifically serves the towns of Dungarvan, Cappoquin, Lismore, Curraglass, Ballynoe, Conna, Castlelyons, Fermoy, Castletownroche, Killavullen and Mallow. There is a concern that if the mid-day service which is provided by Bus Éireann is stopped, because in the company's words it is deemed to be "not profitable", this will have an untold consequence for those people who are older, who do not have their own transport and who would normally use this service to access general day to day services such as medical, post office and other services that generally keep life and limb together.

I am concerned because if it is the case that Bus Éireann decides to terminate this service, then in the current economic climate, there is no guarantee that the rural transport programme would be sufficiently funded to replace the route and provide the service to what I would call a vulnerable section or our society who do not have the means to provide their own transport and are not in a position to be able to get taxis if they are living in rural areas to the towns I have mentioned.

We saw in 1967 that the railway line between Mallow and Dungarvan or Cork and Waterford through Mallow was stopped and it was replaced by a bus service. I am arguing now, along with my colleague, Deputy O'Shea, that there would be a public service obligation to ensure that those people would continue to be served by some form of public transport and ideally through the auspices of Bus Éireann. It is my view that if we are to go down the line in this country of stopping routes which are deemed to be not profitable, then it will be another nail in the coffin for rural society. At a time when we are talking about the sustainability of the rural economy and rural society, it is vitally important that we would ensure that Bus Éireann and other providers would continue to have some obligation to provide services, particularly during the week when it is predominantly elderly people who avail of these services. It is not only so that they can go into town to purchase groceries but it is also a form of social interaction for them they may not otherwise have without the service.

If Government policy is one that assures that rural transport would be well catered for, particularly in more isolated areas, and if it is the case that Government policy is such that there is a service in existence, I call on the Minister to ensure that the service is maintained, preferably by Bus Éireann, but if not, that the Minister would intervene directly with Bus Éireann to ensure that it is maintained. That will ensure that if we get rid of the railways we do not also get rid of the rural bus routes. People use this service and it is vital that they have access to the services that maintain them in their everyday lives.

I call on the Minister to intervene directly with Bus Éireann on this issue and ensure we maintain that service and other such services that are being threatened. Bus Éireann is undergoing a process of reviewing its routes and those deemed to be not profitable could cease in the future. That would be a bad day for rural society and the rural economy in particular.

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