Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this important and timely debate on the motion. In terms of the operations carried out by Bus Éireann and the public service obligation, the latter cannot be removed from the Expressway service in such a clean manner because it provides a huge public service to many citizens.

This must be taken into account when considering the cost of the service.

A total of 30% of Expressway passengers have the free travel pass. As stated by Deputy Brendan Ryan, the Department of Social Protection pays only 41% of the cost of a ticket for a passenger using free transport. Bus Éireann has a disproportionate number of free travel pass passengers on its Expressway service as against private operators because it operates with a large social responsibility and part of its service is social. It provides services to provincial towns and villages which private operators will simply will not provide. Because private operators go from point to point such as from Galway to Dublin along the motorway network, they have a disproportionately high number of paying passengers who pay to travel from Dublin to Galway, without any thought being given to the service element required to be met by Bus Éireann. This is missing from the argument and the Government is deliberately abdicating its responsibility. The NTA refuses to recognise this because, as has been said, it is driven by a market-led competition mantra and grants licences to compete with Bus Éireann services which affect the future viability of Bus Éireann. We have to properly subsidise and support Bus Éireann and recognise once and for all the social aspect of the business it operates as being viable and desirable.

How much has the Expressway business subsidised other Bus Éireann business as PSO funding has been reduced over many years? Does this happen in Bus Éireann's accounts? How much money has been transferred from Bus Éireann to support and cross-subsidise Irish Rail services over the years? What impact has this had on its business?

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