Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change) | Oireachtas source

I will outline my points in three areas. A free, widely available and decarbonised public transport system must be at the heart of a just transition and transformation. In Ireland, transport makes up the largest demand for energy. It is responsible for more than 40% of energy-related CO₂emissions. In 2021, private cars represented 42% of total transport energy demand. In the same year, bus or coach represented only 3% and rail was less than 1% of that demand. To remove the dependency on private cars, we need to transform our public transport system. We need an intermodal system of buses, light rail, walking and cycling lanes. We need to connect rural areas to the main towns and cities and vice versa. Bus and rail need to be interconnected and adapted to local needs. All railway routes and stations that were taken out of service need to be brought back into service.

Public transport has to be seen as a public service. All public services must be accessible to everyone and free at the point of use. This is something the State has yet to achieve in any of our underfunded public services. Public transport needs to be widely available and free to encourage people to use it instead of private cars. The 20% reduction in fares introduced in April will help, to a degree, people struggling with high inflation and stagnant income, but it is not enough. The public transport subsidy for Dublin Bus compares very badly with other European cities at 29%, which is only half of the average across Europe. For example, Lyons in France has a 79% subsidy, Brussels has a 68% subsidy and most comparable European cities are above a 60% subsidy.

The other aspect of this issue is the removal of fossil fuels from the transport system, not only to avert a looming climate disaster but to eliminate the growing problem of air pollution. We know that densely populated areas with high traffic levels particularly affect children. Our public transport system needs to be upgraded using electricity and hydrogen fuels as an alternative to diesel. I take Deputy Connolly's point about lithium and cobalt. We must have an investigation into their use and human rights abuses in the Congo and so on.

For a high-quality, free public transport system to be viable we need a sustainable approach to urban mobility, transport and planning and development in rural areas. New housing must be concentrated in villages to allow for good transport links that will allow people to access jobs, schools, shops and other essential services. We will no doubt be told this will cost a lot and we cannot afford it. My answer to that is we cannot not afford it. Everything has to change. The global neoliberal economic model of capitalism is dependent on oil. Rich countries are dependent on it, while at the same time authoritarian regimes depend on selling it to rich countries. One way or the other, oil creates pollution, climate damage, social injustice and wars. The change has to come.

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