Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move:

That Dáil Éireann:

recognises that: — the increased cost of fuel is having a huge financial impact on people across the country;

— people living in rural Ireland are in a unique position, whereby they require more flexible and accessible public transport links;

— 55 per cent of commuters into Dublin are relying on public transport;

— Ireland now ranks amongst the highest globally for urban traffic congestion;

— public transport services in Ireland are unreliable and inaccessible, forcing people to use alternative transport;

— there is an urgent requirement for vastly improved accessibility on all public transport; and

— the need for readily accessible public transport is even greater for the disabled community, particularly those living in rural Ireland; notes that: — private cars are the transport mode with the largest energy use and account for 43 per cent of all transport energy demand;

— energy demand by private cars is 67 per cent greater than the combined demand of both heavy goods and light goods commercial vehicles on Irish roads;

— Dublin Bus can only accommodate one wheelchair user per bus;

— if a wheelchair user wishes to use the train service, they must provide 24 hours' notice to rail staff, greatly hindering their right to freedom of movement, general quality of life, safe passage and transport in cases of emergency;

— Luxembourg currently works off a free transport system; and

— Germany has agreed to extend a trial period of heavily subsidised public transport to tackle serious issues with carbon emissions, accessibility, and the cost of living; and calls on the Government to: — provide free public transport;

— invest in rural transport addressing frequency, flexibility, reliability, and accessibility;

— invest in upgrading buses and trains;

— ensure that all buses are accessible to people with disabilities beyond the current capacity of one wheelchair at any given time;

— implement appropriate planning and design changes to rail services to ensure that wheelchair users and disabled people are able to travel without notice;

— provide more suitable transport infrastructure such as bus shelters;

— extend Iarnród Éireann to include services in County Donegal;

— extend Local Link services to include more rural areas;

— extend Local Link timetables to ensure that peak hours are better serviced in order to allow people to rely on the service to commute to school and work;

— extend Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann timetables to ensure that peak hours are better serviced in order to allow people to rely on the service to commute to school and work;

— extend Local Link night-time services, with a view to supporting and generating business to the rural hospitality sector;

— implement strategic planning to upgrade Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus to ensure a more reliable service;

— create permanent contracts for bus drivers and transport workers;

— invest in a recruitment drive for drivers;

— invest in upgrading buses and trains so that they are fully accessible; and

— invest in fully electric buses.

I am delighted to have the opportunity to introduce my motion regarding the provision of free and accessible public transport to the Chamber. It has become a running joke that not having a train service is a personality trait for Donegal people. There seems to be a general consensus that we cannot introduce ourselves, or talk about where we are from, without first confirming the fact that our part of the world is so neglected that we do not even have access to a train. We are the forgotten county after all and we have worn this title for so long that it seems to have crept into our psyche and made itself a significant part of our identity.

The provision of free and accessible transport is a sensible proposal which would address many of the issues that people across the country are faced with today. It would address the increased cost of fuel, the significant rise of carbon emissions in recent years, the reliability and accessibility issues we are currently experiencing with our public transport services and the lack of services we are seeing in our rural communities in general. The provision of free and accessible transport would positively affect every single person and community in this country. However, there is no doubt that Donegal is at the heart of this motion. My constituents have had to deal with the lack of public transport for a long time. I take this opportunity to recognise and pay tribute to my constituents, who have been calling for such provisions for years and who I hope to give a voice to with this motion.

Fare-free public transport is far from a novel idea. To date, more than 100 cities have already made public transport free, with more taking the leap every month. Fare-free public transport brings an array of environmental, economic and social benefits, including cleaner air, reduced emissions, reduced costs for users and improved social inclusion among society's most disadvantaged. Public services such as schools, libraries, roads and parks are free to use for everyone. Applying the same principle to public transport implies that, as a measure of mobility and universal accessibility, it should be free as well.

I will begin by addressing the cost-of-living crisis, which is hitting our citizens from all angles. People are struggling to make ends meet and yet are still met with continuously rising bills and fuel costs. Households are struggling to pay their bills and fill their tanks and families are having to make hard decisions on whether they can afford to make the same journeys that they were making before. This particularly affects families from rural communities, who often have to travel long distances to gain access to schools, work, sports clubs, dance classes or even a swimming pool or cinema. In my own town of Killybegs, the nearest swimming pool is 30 km away and the nearest cinema is 58 km away. They are even farther for those living in Carrick or Glencolumbkille. Parents want their children to have the same opportunities as every other child. I have had many parents tell me they have had to start making compromises at the expense of their children’s sports, interests and social lives. We should not be forcing parents to make such unfair compromises. It is not fair and it is not good enough.

Free public transport is a social justice policy. It helps to lift people out of poverty through greater equality of opportunity and accessibility. For people on low wages, transport expenses matter. As we know, a car is an expensive item to keep on the road. Unfortunately it is the only viable option for many. For those who rely on public transport, the current fares and fees are also deterrents. When bills, heating and food costs rise, every euro counts. Offering meaningful savings would help lower-income families. Strasbourg provides a useful demonstration of the benefit free transport can have for the cost of living. It was reported that families in Strasbourg with two children could save €550 per year on the cost of their travel passes. The city of Tallinn in Estonia reported that the decision to make public transport free greatly benefited lower income households in and around the city. After the policy was introduced, public transport use increased by 29%.

According to the European Commission, continuous growth of transport demand, along with the increased traffic congestion, has negative consequences on the environment and on the economic competitiveness of member states. Providing an attractive and reliable public transport service is considered to be an important element in creating sustainable mobility. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, transport has had the greatest increase of greenhouse gas emissions, with a 112.2% increase between 1990 and 2021. Passenger cars were responsible for approximately 54% of road transport emissions in 2020. The same report from the EPA notes that there is an undeniable correlation in the data between the increase in emissions, private cars and economic activity. That is to say, commuting to work is a prime source of our national greenhouse gas emissions.

This requires targeted action that will remove more cars from our roads. Fewer cars means fewer emissions. However, in order for this to be successful, we must incentivise citizens to use high-capacity, responsive, frequent, electrified public transport. Providing free, frequent public transport would encourage commuters to stop relying on their car, which would reduce emissions and congestion. For example, in Vienna, a low yearly fee gives people unlimited access to public transport. This has been taken up by half of Vienna's population, where 38% of all journeys are made by public transport, with walking now being more popular than using cars.

The issue of accessibility to all has been raised from a human rights perspective. The European accessibility act, EAA, will introduce new requirements regarding accessibility for products and services, including transport, and will apply from 28 June 2025. The EAA ensures that disabled people and the elderly community will benefit from fewer barriers when accessing transport. Section 13 of the EEA states that the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities requires "that people with disabilities have access, on an equal basis with others, to the physical environment, transportation". Accessibility is essential for participation in society. As an example of a current issue, Dublin Bus can only accommodate one wheelchair user per bus. If wheelchair users wish to use train services, they must provide 24 hours' notice to the rail staff, greatly hindering their right to freedom of movement, general quality of life, safe passage and transport in cases of emergency. I know of instances where people have provided the notice to Iarnród Éireann, but when they arrived at the station, there was nobody to take them off the train. That is wrong.

Ireland has an opportunity to join the other leading member states in making our national public transport infrastructure accessible to our disabled and elderly communities. We must recognise the importance of social inclusion and of logistical freedom. We must acknowledge the incredible worth of the contributions that disabled and elderly people make to our communities. This can only happen if the means of inclusion is properly facilitated. This requires not only making public transport free but also ensuring that it is flexible, efficient and well planned to create a genuinely reliable service. This motion calls for investment in transport, addressing frequency, flexibility, reliability and accessibility. How are we going to encourage people to use public transport when it is completely unreliable? I am sure everyone here has taken Dublin Bus before and I am sure many have had complaints from constituents in recent months about the service. People are often left standing for long periods while multiple buses pass them by, completely full, causing people to be late for work and school. We have heard many cases of people trying to get the bus, then having to give up and hop in the car instead when this is not an option. We are forcing people into using personal vehicles when our transport services are unreliable, then we are penalising them for it. The reality is that their social and economic lives are hemmed into the limits of the public transport that is available to them.

In rural Ireland, there is a complete lack of reliable and responsive public transport. It is almost laughable. It means that anyone without a car is excluded from social and economic inclusion. Shops, work and education are all held to ransom by a limited transport service. Not only does Donegal not have a train service, but the idea that the Government would even consider reinstating one is no longer taken seriously. The Local Link service in Donegal is probably the one of the best-developed Local Link services in the country, but it is still not good enough and it means very little when dealing with a large county with no rail access. The Local Link service has greatly benefited our communities and it is the first step in providing decent transport, but it badly needs to be extended to include all areas.

There is no point in having an extended service without also extending the timetables. If someone living in Clondalkin got offered a job in Portobello, the 25-minute commute would not be an issue. The bus would provide a simple transport solution. If people in Killybegs were offered a job in Donegal town, 25 minutes away, the only way they would be able to accept that job in the current situation would be if they had access to their own car, as the current timetables do not provide a sufficient service at peak hours. This is a significant obstacle for disabled people, especially in rural communities, and for everybody else. It goes without saying that if people live in rural Ireland, they need to own a car. However, no concessions are made for our rural population in this regard.

Free and accessible public transport is necessary to tackle the issue of accessibility and inclusion.

It is clear that free public transport is a practical and effective way to reap climate, social, health and economic benefits. It is a single solution that solves multiple problems. It will be a wasted opportunity if the Government does not recognise that.

People throughout rural Ireland are regularly left waiting for buses that do not arrive, even in the case of buses that are a part of the Expressway link. Perhaps two or three of those buses do not arrive. Those days must become a thing of the past. We can make that happen by providing real jobs and ensuring drivers have work. We must provide a service that is reliable and free at the point of the use. We must also ensure a service for everybody.

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