Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I will sum up the debate. I suppose I could be forgiven for thinking a reshuffle we knew nothing about has taken place and that the Minister for Transport has changed to the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, or the Minister of State, Deputy Ossian Smyth, because nobody from the Department of Transport seems to have bothered to turn up to this debate, which is telling in itself. If there is a genuine reason a Minister cannot be here for a debate, normally he or she informs you beforehand that something has happened. That has not happened, so it seems the relevant Ministers just did not bother their arses turning up. That shows, maybe, what the Government thinks about transport across the country and about these issues. It probably shows what it thinks about the Opposition. Maybe it shows what it thinks about the Independents as well, but that is a debate for another day. It is disappointing. I know a missive from the Minister for Transport was read out, but it would have been nice if he had actually bothered his arse to turn up.

I have long been raising the issue of rural transport with the Minister and would have liked for him to have heard today's contributions and the support for the motion in the Chamber. It would be nice to get a reply to the emails and correspondence we send him too, but that is probably a bit of a stretch as well at this stage. Although I am glad the motion is not being opposed, it is not good enough for the Government merely not to oppose it. It is imperative that it do all it can to support it, implement it or, at the very least, look into and consider the many benefits of free and accessible public transport. As I said at the beginning of the debate, free and accessible public transport is a single solution to multiple problems. It is a wasted opportunity for the Government not to recognise that.

I understand that most of the concerns on the side of the Government have to do with cost so I will address that. The Government, in focusing on the fear of initial short-term investment, is completely overlooking the long-term financial benefit that free public transport can provide. High transport costs have become a great barrier in our labour market. Commutes take time and money, be they in a car or on fare-based transport. Pursuing free mobility could be a route to generating employment while also ramping up efforts to achieve climate and environmental targets. From a global perspective, the benefits of free public transport are notable. In purely economic terms, the World Bank estimates that a total investment of $4 trillion today in public buses, trains and rail networks would yield annual benefits of $1 trillion all the way up to 2030, totalling a net value of $19.6 trillion. By 2050, scaling up mass transport options would create nearly 12 million decent green jobs. While that example is on a global scale, the same principles hold true and apply at national level. I have received many questions asking, "Why free transport? Why not just ask to extend the services?" The first reason is that this is aimed to be a cost-of-living measure that is permanent and works to improve our citizens' lives in the long run, rather than a once-off payment that does very little to create any change or provide any proper relief for people. The second reason is that we spend little of our budget on public transport. It would cost the State very little to provide a free and extended public transport service. While it would cost little, the benefits would be huge. In the case that the benefits outweigh the cost, we should always act in the interests of our constituents.

The Government very often likes to follow in the footsteps of Europe. This motion gives it the opportunity to do just that. We would not be the first European country to introduce free transport and we certainly would not be the last. Many European cities have implemented fare-free public transport schemes over the past 20 years. A comparison of these schemes shows that there are many differences in their implementation. This reflects the way in which the various municipal authorities have tailored fare-free public transport to the characteristics of each locale, recognising the unique needs of the communities therein. We have the opportunity to evaluate and to consider each of these systems and we should jump at the chance to do so.

The example of Tallinn was mentioned by the Minister of State and others. Tallinn is the 2023 European green capital because it has learned from its teething problems and is currently introducing a systems overhaul to its free transport system, doubling down on its commitment not only to its citizens but to the climate as well. There are lessons we can learn from that.

I want to emphasise that Donegal is at the heart of this motion. I cannot count the number of times I have been contacted by constituents who have been let down and abandoned by public transport in the county. Bus Éireann services are completely unreliable and it worries me deeply to hear of constituents left stranded, with no way home. My community relies heavily on bus services because with no train service at all, we have very little in the way of public transport. The Government's priority should be to ensure a functioning bus service at the very least. Ongoing issues include the constant breakdown of buses with no replacement coaches available and a lack of drivers to run the services. These issues have a huge impact. They can put people's lives in disarray but are easily fixed. I have been contacted by constituents who have missed college, work, matches, concerts, flights and hospital appointments. This is unacceptable and cannot go on.

The motion calls for the provision of more buses, investment in the upgrade of trains and buses and a recruitment campaign for drivers, as well as the creation of permanent contracts for drivers and transport workers. These simple measures would go a long way towards making our transport service reliable. We have so little in the way of facilities and services in County Donegal and the least the Government should do is make sure we have the necessary transport links to access facilities and services elsewhere. We have had enough of being forgotten about and we will not accept it anymore. Perhaps the Minister of State could print off a transcript of the debate and send it to the Minister for Transport.

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