Michael Lowry (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

6 o’clock

Dublin Airport has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. The debacle on Saturday and Sunday was covered by The New York Timesand many other worldwide publications, with images of passengers at their wits' end and mind-boggling queues of hundreds of people trying to get into the airport building, even before they began the process of checking in bags and clearing security. The images beamed out on Sunday from Dublin Airport by the media reflect badly on the DAA and are very damaging. Several overseas visitors have already publicly vowed never to return here following their experience at the airport. Irish people hoping to start their first holiday in two years were left grounded and in limbo, many of them in tears as their flights left without them. Our land of a thousand welcomes became a place of no escape for 1,000 passengers whose feet were firmly left on the ground last Sunday. This is not the impression of Ireland we want to send across the world. Repeat performances cannot be tolerated.

Ironically, while hundreds of passengers cannot get into the airport, dozens more cannot leave it when they arrive in Dublin, especially if they arrive after midnight. This is due to a serious shortage of taxis at arrivals. It is not because there are not enough taxis available to serve the needs of incoming passengers. In fact, the opposite is the case. It is happening because regulations introduced by the DAA in 2016 changed the criteria for obtaining airport taxi permits. Now all taxis picking up passengers must be wheelchair accessible. The result is that the use of saloon style cars is no longer permitted. Due to their design, saloon cars are not capable of accommodating the standard size wheelchair. While saloon-style taxis can continue to drop passengers at the airport departures, they do not have a permit to pick up passengers at arrivals. Taxi operators must leave the airport without any passengers while lengthy passenger queues wait for a taxi outside arrivals in both winter and summer.

This is not cost effective for taxi owners, who lose half their potential earnings as they drive out of the airport empty. The important point is that it is also both perplexing and annoying for passengers, particularly those arriving in Ireland from abroad who have travelled during night hours and who have travelled on long-haul flights. Nobody wants to queue for a taxi in the middle of the night. The provision of user-friendly transport options for disabled people is of major importance to everybody. The DAA is to be commended on taking action in this regard, but surely with a little initiative it is possible to meet the needs of everyone.

I will highlight another anomaly that is both extraordinary and ridiculous. It is happening in Tipperary and elsewhere across the country. At present, drivers must stop driving school transport when they reach their 70th birthday. This is causing a major problem for school transport companies. The age profile of drivers is climbing as it is not viable for younger people to attain a D licence due to the cost of qualifying as a professional driver. The bus and coach industry is suffering. It cannot get young drivers. The majority of drivers on school runs are retired people who choose to work part-time and those who had the correct licence category from the old licensing system. Ironically, drivers over 70 years of age can continue to work in private hire once certified medically fit. They can also take a full-size coach to the UK or any part of Europe, but they cannot do a local school run. It defies belief. People over 70 years of age can also work for other State bodies, such as TFI, so why does the age rule apply to school transport? This rule should and must be changed to safeguard the future of school transport. Age is not a number, and a person's worth is not determined by his or her birth certificate.

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