Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ar dtús ba mhaith liom an bus oíche a ardú leis an Aire Stáit agus seo ceist atá luaite go sách minic agam sa Seomra seo. Tá dhá líne nua curtha le bus 24 uaire i mBaile Átha Cliath agus cuirim fáilte roimhe sin ach tá gá le bus oíche i nGaillimh freisin agus ar fud an iarthair. Tá a fhios agam go bhfuil an bus 424 ag taisteal níos déanaí anois agus gur féidir le daoine, mar gheall air sin, dul i gcomhair béile agus dul ar ais abhaile ach teastaíonn tuilleadh busanna cosúil leis seo agus teastaíonn a leithéid in iarthar an chontae freisin. There are several matters I wish to raise with the Minister.

One issue I have raised a number of times in the Chamber is that of a night bus in Galway. While the 424 service is now running later, there is a need for increased night buses, specifically in the eastern part of the county. There are two new lines for 24-hour bus services in Dublin, which is very welcome, but we need to see the same level of support in more rural areas, for example, for students who cannot find accommodation in the city and have to travel out further, as well as for people who are working late at night.

We know people will use public transport if they have the option. I see that on the Galway-Dublin bus, which is packed. Speaking of the Galway-Dublin bus service, it is an outrage that the 20-X20 service was cancelled. It provided a vital service for people in rural areas to travel to Dublin.

Another issue I want to raise is the western rail corridor, on which there has been a long campaign. It was a fantastic rail service for the west. My great grandad was a train driver on the western rail corridor, so my family is acutely aware of the importance of the service. Again, when there is a rail service available people will use it. If we are serious about people using public transport, we need to make it affordable but we also need to make it accessible. Unfortunately, it is not accessible for the vast majority of people in rural Ireland.

For students living outside Galway city, making it to college by 9 a.m. using the bus service is not realistic in many cases. That needs to be addressed.

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