Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)

This is an issue of fairness and connectivity. Those who benefit from this route do not have their own means of transport. As most of them are isolated, they rely on the route to access essential services they cannot access other than through Bus Éireann. Many of those who travel on the 366 route cannot avail of a supplementary service under the rural transport programme. We are seeking to achieve the retention of the service in some way, even if it means a reduction in the service to one day a week. We strongly believe this route should be subject to a public service obligation. It was put in place to supplement the loss of railway infrastructure. While that may be deemed to be an historical debate, the principle still applies. If this route is taken away, a significant number of people, most of whom are elderly, will be cast further into isolation. A lady who attended one of my clinics two weeks ago was visibly upset about the loss of this route. When one speaks about access to services, one always wishes to bear in mind the notions of a national spatial strategy and intergenerational solidarity. If we are to axe routes that allow for connectivity, we will do a disservice to older people. We will marginalise those who do not have their own transport and therefore rely heavily on services of this nature as they travel to where they want to go each day.

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