Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I commend the Fianna Fáil motion before the House. It was alarming to discover in recent days that the different proposals that are being put forward by the board of Bus Éireann are only now coming to light. Nothing has been handled well in this matter. The Minister says rural areas are a priority. If that is so, surely he will ensure no bus routes are cut in those rural areas? If the Government could make a statement to that effect, it would allay people's fears.

Putting myself in the shoes of a private bus operator, I would not choose a route that was likely to see me losing money. Bus Éireann, on the other hand, is obliged to do the good, the bad and the in between. Private operators, meanwhile, will not even buy a bus unless they are sure of making money. That is the problem we are seeing across the country. In recent years, the National Transport Authority seems to have adopted a stance whereby it envisages privatising the entire bus service. As other speakers noted, in parts of rural Ireland there is absolutely no bus service. When it comes to the school transport service, we are fighting day in and day out to ensure people can access the service. Children are being told that even though their brother or sister went to a particular school, they cannot access transport to that school because of the new rules.

It was alarming to hear Bus Éireann's acting CEO, Mr. Ray Hernan, speaking about insurance and the need for an efficient service. If changes are required, including in legislation, we need to make them. Everybody supports an efficiently run bus service but we cannot drop the hatchet on it. Since 2009, the public service obligation funding to the bus companies has reduced, even though some one third of citizens are now covered under the free travel scheme. No company can sustain that type of pressure. The Minister for Social Protection should be here today to deal with this aspect of the problem. The bus is pulling out of town and if the Government does not get on it, Ministers will be hiring another bus in the coming months for the purpose of canvassing around the country. That is what will happen if bus services are cut.

See this speech in context