Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Much of the time when one is trying to explain why the Government cannot subside Expressway routes it seems lost on many who say that we are giving a subvention to CIE and should assert that the buses should stop at every town and village. I am annoyed that this is so but I understand the reasoning behind it. I have worked closely with Bus Éireann, certainly in Sligo, to try to achieve a compromise on the matter. The fact is that if one takes the Bus Éireann service from Sligo to Dublin, as I do on occasion, and which is quite good value, it takes three hours and 30 minutes. There are private licensed operators which leave Sligo, stop in Carrick-on-Shannon and on the by-pass in Longford, effectively picking up 50% or 60% of those travelling, and get to Dublin in less than two hours. CIE faces considerable challenges. Unfortunately, it could lose its customers on those routes, but it also has an obligation to try to deliver for everybody. I say that because CIE was working closely with the NTA and with rural transport to try to fill in the gaps, but sometimes it can be a race to the bottom where the private licensed operators cherry-pick the major population centres.

A major population centre such as Sligo town has as many customers as 40 villages. The position is the same as when people resisted a by-pass for a town where every other town wanted it because one would get to and from Dublin or wherever as quickly as possible. We are working closely with the NTA to get this arrangement sorted out. I have worked closely in Ballinamore, which is a big town which had no public transport links to the major towns. We achieved a compromise in Elphin and Carrick Castle and I am working closely to achieve a compromise so that the service will come off the main road into Dromod, and also in Rooskey. Dromod is not as bad as Rooskey because Dromod is on the Sligo railway line to Dublin, but Rooskey is a difficulty. I still cannot understand why Bus Éireann could not come off the dual carriageway and use the old N4 because the route is shorter and it would only take a minute longer. This issue has caused so much anger. Sometimes it is difficult for us as politicians to get involved to resolve such matters, especially when there are others who are clearly presenting as fact something that is incorrect.

During the Celtic tiger, many who came into the country, especially those from Poland, did not have their own cars and used public transport in Dublin, the major cities and in rural areas. People got on at every bus stop, but now, because of the recession, there is a significant loss of revenue for Bus Éireann and CIE.

I pay tribute to Irish Rail. It provides a great service on the Sligo-Dublin line and many others. It is competitive and it is wonderful. However, sometimes the cost of tickets is exorbitant. If I want to take a train in the morning from Sligo to Dublin, it will cost €35. While I believe the free travel scheme is necessary and it is wonderful that anybody over 65 can avail of it, in some aspects the scheme is being abused. One area I feel it is being abused is where, in a certain town or city, a retired senior civil servant, because he has free travel, takes the Friday train to Heuston Station in Dublin where he has a coffee or a pint, and meets his son, who works for a major firm in Dublin, in the afternoon. Not alone that, the son can travel free with his father as the accompanying passenger back to wherever they go. Not alone are he and the young fellow getting free travel, the poor unfortunate who is paying the full price for his or her travel must stand up so this young man can sit with his father. That is where it is abused. There are some aspects where people must enter into the spirit of the scheme. An accompanying passenger where somebody is disabled or needs a hand is a worthy measure but, in some respects, the scheme is much abused, and this is worth looking into.

I pay tribute to the professionalism of the bus drivers and the train drivers, and all the staff who are courteous. Even on Dublin Bus, people, especially those coming up from the country who do not know where they are going, are shown great courtesy, which I respect. One does not mind asking a bus driver which stop is appropriate, and I appreciate that.

On the extension of rural transport services I believe the National Transport Authority is considering the use of school buses and private operators in the provision of rural transport services because they are a vital link for the elderly and people who need such transport to get into the local town to collect their pensions, to shop or to meet their friends. This is because rural areas have become extremely isolated. Even ten years ago, if seeking directions, one always would have seen someone who was walking along the side of the road. However, there no longer appears to be anyone in rural areas and consequently, people tell me how important are such rural transport services.

While a lot of this money is going towards the provision of a public service, one measure that could be examined is the provision of cycleways and walking paths between towns and villages. For example, if one wished to get from Boyle to Carrick-on-Shannon, which takes ten minutes by road, the adoption of the model used in Germany or the Netherlands, with cycleways along rivers and canals, could get a lot of people out of their cars and off the roads. I acknowledge one would need a certain level of fitness but consideration should be given to connecting all the major villages nationwide and I note this has been sorted out successfully in Dublin.

I wish the Minister well with this Bill and thank him for the work he is doing. One point that should be considered in the context of The Gathering event next year is that only 5% of overseas visitors and 6% of tourism revenue are generated through coach tourism. A huge opportunity exists in this regard and I believe Bus Éireann and many other operators must examine this possibility.

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