Chris Andrews (Dublin South East, Fianna Fail)

I am glad the Minister is present for my contribution and I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in the debate.

The purpose of the Bill is to establish a modern system for the licensing of commercial public bus passenger services with the objective of promoting regulated competition in the provision of licensed public bus passenger services on a national basis and, more important, in the public interest. The Bill also promotes integrated, well functioning and cost efficient public passenger transport services and provides for the introduction of new contractual arrangements for the procurement of public land transport services on a national basis, which is modelled on the approach established in the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008 in respect of the greater Dublin area. This legislation is critical and long overdue and I congratulate the Minister on taking a lead in this area. As he highlighted in introducing the Bill, it is 77 years since the Road Transport Act was implemented but there is no comparison between the transport network of 70 years ago and that of today. My grandfather closed most of the railway lines but there have been many changes since then. They say the sins of the father are visited on the son but that is not quite the case here.

A well functioning bus service is the backbone of any urban area. Unlike in the United States, where taking the bus is seen as something that should be avoided, people of all ages take the bus in Ireland. One can take it at any time of the day and one will see students, older people who may no longer wish to drive, parents with their schoolchildren and professionals as they make their way to work every day. The quality bus corridor that runs through Stillorgan has been hugely successful. Despite people at the time in RTE saying it would be an obstacle to commuters, it has been extremely successful. My colleague, Deputy Mansergh, referred to the free transport scheme introduced by Fianna Fail, which was, and is, of huge benefit to older people. When people reach the age they are entitled to a free travel pass, they take it with great celebration and it reduces the sense of isolation they may feel. In some cases they travel for the first time in decades and the extension of the scheme to Northern Ireland is welcome.

A number of Members referred to the bus gate at College Green in Dublin. While in theory the bus gate is a good idea, the timing of its introduction was not correct. Retailers in the city centre are struggling with high rents and falling revenue and, while this is not all due to the bus gate, I favour suspending the scheme until the new bridges are in place next year. There has to be a compromise on this matter that will benefit transport users and that will ensure Dublin centre does not become a retail graveyard.

Public consultations were held earlier this year with older people around the country, who pointed out that access to mobility was critical to remaining connected with society. The same is true in Dublin and the Luas is a transport success story. One line runs right through Dublin South East and it has made an impact on people living along the route. It is much preferable to use light rail rather than the car.

The Minister stated the objective of the legislation is the promotion of regulated competition on a national basis in the public interest, which is a critical issue. The needs of those who use public transport must be at the heart of our transport policy. As he said, commercial operators will always work to their own agenda, which is, unsurprisingly, to make a profit. While competition is healthy, commercial operators cannot be allowed to select and cherry pick the routes that are most profitable with no consideration of less profitable routes and the social consequences of such decisions.

The State has a responsibility to its citizens to provide a well functioning, cost effective and comprehensive transport system. The Minister has done a great deal of work to ensure this vision comes about and section 10 is critical in this regard. It sets out a range of matters in the application of bus licences and will ensure all applications must be considered in the context of potential demand for a proposed service having specific regard for the needs of customers. I alluded to private sector companies trying to protect their position but the State agencies also seek to protect their position in the market. While this reflects human nature, it is up to the State to regulate and that is why the Bill is important.

The formation on the new National Transport Authority is a also a sensible step. It makes sense to amalgamate agencies that deal with certain aspects of a particular system, in this case transport. I hope it will lead to greater efficiencies and a more joined up approach to our transport policy in the coming years. However there is no comparison between urban and rural transport systems and I warn against a one size fits all approach. The Minister is aware of this and the legislation ensures such an approach will not be adopted. I agree with the Minister that the Bill will bring greater clarity and fairness to the bus route licensing system and I welcome the fact that the needs of the people are at its core. Urban and rural transport are subject to different demands and, therefore, the criteria for licences will be different. I agree with Deputy Ó Snodaigh that the people want a good public transport system and the Bill will endeavour to provide that.

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