Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Is léir go bhfuil an-dúil ag daoine ina bheith ag úsáid iompair phoiblí ach caithfidh an t-infheistiú a bheith ann chun gur féidir le daoine a bheith ag súil leis go rithfidh seirbhísí in am agus go mbeidh na feithiclí sábháilte agus glan.

I commend the work my colleague, Deputy O'Rourke, has done in this area. The motion is testament to the ambition that this party has for the public transport investment that is necessary for recruitment and the scale that is there. People will take public transport. They will choose it over the car if they are confident that it is reliable, safe, clean, comfortable; that it gets them where they need to go, and that it serves their community in the way that is necessary. That is not just what people say; that is the reality, and it is what we have seen on the ground.

In Cork in recent years, we have seen an expansion of the public transport system in a number of localities. Where we put in the routes and services people will use them, provided they are of an adequate quality. Bus Éireann has expanded significantly in Cork. At this point, however, it does not have anywhere near the staff capacity needed to meet the objectives that are being set out for it in terms of BusConnects and the additional routes. Without additional recruitment, the State could end up looking at private contractors and tenders and all the kind of messing that we have seen in other places that we do not want to see in Cork. There is no reason that there should not be the required recruitment in Bus Éireann. It can and should happen, provided the Minister signs off on it. Bus Éireann should be running the additional routes and services.

I also urge the Minister of State and the NTA to be flexible and to engage meaningfully with local communities on BusConnects. I believe it can be a success, but in order for that to happen it must bring communities with it. It must make clear the benefits that can accrue and come to reasonable accommodations with communities. I urge that would happen, and it can be successful provided that is done.

The final point I want to make relates to school transport. It is the no-brainer to end all no-brainers. It reduces traffic at the busiest times. It also reduces emissions, and it reduces costs for parents. Whatever about what happened this year - there was good and bad in it in terms of costs, but the planning was inadequate - there needs to be a long-term objective of providing free school transport for everyone that wants a place. That is not just some kind of frivolous throwaway commitment. It makes financial, environmental and transport sense in the long run. That should be the objective. That is our objective, and it should be the objective of the Minister of State as well.

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