Michael Harty (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The position in Bus Éireann is very worrying. The recent presentation made by the acting CEO of Bus Éireann, Mr. Ray Hernan, to the Oireachtas transport committee was frightening when he forecast that losses for 2016 would be up to €9 million. His assertion that the company could be insolvent by the end of the year without drastic cost reductions was very concerning for the travelling public and employees of Bus Éireann. As reported in The Irish Timesthis morning, Bus Éireann has been in contact with the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport for two years regarding the deteriorating financial position and mounting losses of the company which continue to erode its net assets and threaten its survival across all services. It is clear that jobs, routes and services are on the line. In situations such as this rural areas come off worst as the densely populated areas close to the centres of power retain most services. It is totally unclear which routes are threatened most, but I argue that the final decision must take into account the social, not just economic, implications. Every service people living in rural Ireland value and need must be fought for tooth and nail and bus services are no exception. Public service obligation funding which subsidises Bus Éireann on unprofitable routes is a lifeline for pensioners, students and workers who do not have cars and live in isolated areas.

I am opposed to axing the long-distance Expressway service but I recognise the need to provide the most efficient operation possible and the need to be reassured that management and work practice issues within the service, which may contribute to high losses, are reduced or eliminated.

There is much to recommend in this motion and the general thrust is fairly outlined in the current position. However the proposal not to change or to remove the Expressway services is unduly restrictive and calling on the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Shane Ross, to act urgently to prevent the possibility of a national industrial action is unwise. Intervention by the Minister in these circumstances should be an act of last resort, not of first resort. I have no doubt that a Fianna Fáil transport Minister, faced with a call to intervene in an industrial dispute like this, would not do so. However, the Government's vision for bus transport in this country is unclear. The Government is not a disinterested party and the Minister needs to set out his stall and his overall vision for bus and other transport services. At the same time it would be unwise to tie the Minister's hands by involving him directly in the current impasse between management and the bus unions.

Undoubtedly, the private sector has made inroads into old Bus Éireann monopolies, in many cases providing popular high-quality, long-distance end-to-end services at affordable prices. It may be that the private sector is in a position to take over some routes from the semi-State company and there is nothing wrong with a mix of State, private and community services. In County Clare, the community-organised Clare Bus provides an outstanding community bus service in areas of Clare where there would be no transport at all. This provides a very cost-effective, essential, client-orientated bus service which caters for all travellers' needs, including those with disabilities. The Minister needs to clear the fog, assess what we have, determine what our bus transport policy should be and act accordingly in a social and cost-effective manner.

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