Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have been raising the difficulties in Bus Éireann with the Taoiseach for a very long time and he has done nothing about them. The management of Bus Éireann announced measures that threaten the rights of bus workers and, most importantly, those of passengers, particularly people who live in rural Ireland. By slashing overtime and Sunday rates and cutting pay, the management is forcing the issue to an industrial dispute. The Taoiseach was well warned about it. This race to the bottom in respect of workers' pay and conditions is unacceptable.

Although the Taoiseach and the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport say rural Ireland is the Government's top priority, there is no evidence for that. The Government has closed Garda stations, post offices, hospitals and other facilities. It is attacking the public bus service in the same way Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats did when Deputy Micheál Martin was in government. A huge number of people, particularly in rural Ireland, rely on Bus Éireann. They are the young, the old, the poor, rural dwellers and tourists. The outworking of Government policy is that people who live in rural Ireland and who cannot afford a car or, for whatever reason, cannot drive, must stay where they are, even if it means they cannot access work, study, health care or a social life.

The nub of the question is whether the Taoiseach believes public transport is a right and whether he believes rural dwellers have this right or not. The Government believes in privatisation. In that case, the profit motive will determine who gets a public bus service or a bus service at all.

Bus Éireann is part of our vital infrastructure, especially in rural Ireland. It is possible, with good management and by listening to transport users and workers, to create a service that will attract more people to use public transport. That should be the Government’s position. The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross, should ensure the future sustainability of Bus Éireann as a public service. He could take a number of decisions, including; a review of loss-making routes on which private carriers currently operate; a review of the number of private licenses issued on these routes; and an increase in funding for the free travel pass - the amount currently allocated covers just 41% of the cost of the average journey. The Minister needs to provide clarity regarding routes and services including, as the Taoiseach said, the Dublin to Derry, Dublin to Clonmel and Athlone to Westport routes. There is always, however, the get-out answer that the decision has not yet been made. The Minister needs to engage immediately with all of the stakeholders to prevent serious travel disruption and a protracted industrial dispute. His aim must be to ensure that together we find a way to protect, preserve and enhance our public transport network. I again ask the Taoiseach to ensure that the Minister, Deputy Ross, engages with all of the stakeholders, including his own Department, the National Transport Authority, NTA, Bus Éireann and the unions in order to find a resolution in respect of this issue.

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