Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We need the Minister to come up quickly with a forum that gives people confidence that he and the Government are committed to public transport. There is no doubt that Bus Éireann is trying to provide a service with one arm tied behind its back. Unfair advantages are being afforded to private operators that are in competition with Bus Éireann, which is trying to meet its public service obligation. It is quite evident from the figures and statistics that Bus Éireann is not competing on a level playing pitch. Private operators must be obliged to have some public service obligations too. The Government cannot consistently allow routes to be cherry-picked by the private operators, while at the same time wondering why Bus Éireann is having difficulties with its financial viability. We are not asking the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to get involved in the industrial relations side of this matter. We want him to intervene on the transportation side of it to ensure the Government has a proper policy for public service transport.

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