Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I appreciate the opportunity to discuss this matter. I condemn the decision by Bus Éireann to withdraw all public transport services serving Abbeyleix and Cullahill in south County Laois and Johnstown in north County Kilkenny. This is the first of a number of savage cuts by Bus Éireann which will result in the withdrawal of services along the main roads from Dublin to Cork, Galway, Waterford, Limerick and the North, respectively. I ask that this decision be reversed.

We have lost the railways and every month now we lose vital bus services through towns. As a result, the affected areas will not have access to any form of public transport. The chairman of the National Transport Authority and managing director of CIE informed Members at a recent meeting that nothing can be done because the services in question are run on commercial lines. I ask that the Government and Minister of State, Deputy Alan Kelly, who is a party colleague of the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, agree to the transfer of the public service obligation from rural transport links to cover what were, until this week, Expressway services along the M7. The state aid service needs to be expanded. The bus service in County Laois, which has been provided since the time of the Bianconi transport service more than 100 years ago, is about to cease. I ask the Government to ensure, at the earliest opportunity and through the National Transport Authority and Bus Éireann, that people in County Laois who need to take a bus to work or to attend vital health appointments under the centralised service for which transport is required have access to public transport.

Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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I will oppose the withdrawal of public transport services from south County Laois and north County Kilkenny by every means possible. Bus Éireann's decision is outrageous and can be compared to removing the bus service from the south of Dublin city. If the plan proceeds, the towns of Abbeyleix, Durrow, Johnstown and Urlingford and the village of Cullahill will no longer have a bus service. There is no private service on the route, and the first stop will be Urlingford.

Bus Éireann receives a subsidy of €200 million a year from the taxpayer. It is also paid for bus pass holders at a reduced rate for each journey made. As Deputy Flanagan pointed out, we had a meeting with Bus Éireann representatives today and I raised the issue of a toilet break, because they are proposing a continuous drive from Dublin Airport to Cork city. The Minister of State knows the length of that journey. Not too many people would sit on a bus for that length of time without a toilet break, yet the company is proposing that there would not even be a toilet break at Josephine's Restaurant in Urlingford. In fact, people will have neither a tea nor a toilet break following these proposals. The company claims there is no commercial obligation, and I wrote to the National Transport Authority two weeks ago about this issue. The authority wrote back to me and stated there is no public service obligation to provide these services. We fleshed it out today at the meeting with the delegations from Bus Éireann and the NTA, and this was confirmed.

I ask the Minister of State to take this back to the Government. We must have a public service obligation on the N7 and the N8. It was confirmed for us that the Limerick route is also in danger of being lost, according to the CEO of Bus Éireann. We cannot wipe whole counties off the route. If all these towns are bypassed and only the motorway is used, there will not be many passengers. The proposition by the company is ludicrous. We need stops and passengers will use a good service when it is available.

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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I am taking this on behalf of the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. The Minister is speaking at the Road Safety Authority's workshop on the road safety strategy this afternoon and is unable therefore to attend this Topical Issue Debate. He apologises for that. For reasons which will be explained, the Minister has no direct responsibility in this matter. I think both Deputies have made the case I am about to make.

There are two types of commercial service, namely, private bus company operations and Bus Éireann's expressway services. These services receive no Exchequer funding and have to cover their own costs. The Government does not make decisions on these routes. They are made by the National Transport Authority, NTA, the independent licensing body, following applications from operators. In addition, there are public service obligation, PSO, contracted services operated by Irish Rail, Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann. Luas services are also contracted services, but that company is currently able to operate without subvention.

Bus Éireann expressway services form part of the commercial network of services operated by the company, all of which are licensed by the NTA. Five of these routes have been amended recently and two have been issued with new licences. In addition, amendments to two routes are under consideration and one is under appeal. The inter-city expressway services are purely commercial services. Such services operate in competition with private operators in the inter-urban bus market. For example, Aircoach provides 17 express services daily between Cork and Dublin.

As part of its expressway turnaround plan, Bus Éireann is making changes to a number of its commercial services to meet the customer demand for limited stop services with quicker journey times and airport connections to ensure such services are commercially viable. Failure to react to this market demand and competitive pressure would result in areduction and loss of expressway services and jobs.

In the coming weeks, it is understood Bus Éireann will be making changes to the Dublin-Cork expressway service to reflect the demand from its customers in large population centres along the route for shorter journey times and more direct services. This will see the journey time on the Dublin-Cork expressway service reduced by approximately 50 minutes, by using the M7 and M8 motorways, while still allowing for the extension of the service to Dublin Airport. This will mean the Dublin to Cork expressway service will not serve Abbeyleix, Durrow, Johnstown or Horse and Jockey once the revised route comes into effect shortly. Daily patronage of Bus Éireann's services in Abbeyleix, Durrow, Johnstown and Horse and Jockey is not commercially sustainable. Portlaoise and Urlingford will still be served. Bus Éireann is following a viability and efficiency plan designed to address significant financial challenges related to factors such as a 20% fall in passenger numbers, fuel cost increases and competition. It is important the company responds effectively to achieve sustainable finances in the future, particularly as regards commercial services operated in a competitive market.

PSO services like Dublin Bus, Irish Rail and other Bus Éireann services are subsidised by the NTA under a PSO contract. The NTA will be reviewing PSO services to provide a service to towns that lose a long-standing commercial service that is no longer viable. The NTA will also look at services provided by the rural transport programme to mitigate the effect of the withdrawal of commercial services.

The Government is concerned that public transport services cater for the needs of rural areas. However, commercial realities for bus services operating in a competitive market have to be recognised. The Minister will encourage NTA efforts at finding alternative services, as mentioned. However, the overall fiscal position means there must be a realistic understanding of the financial constraints affecting the subvention of public transport PSO services generally. I understand the concerns expressed by the Deputies and I equally understand that the withdrawal of the service can be devastating.

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for her reply. I would like to seek a meeting of the Laois Deputies with the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport this week to deal with certain aspects of this reply. I would like to remind the Minister of State of the programme for Government between her party and mine, which states the following:

We recognise the need to rebalance transport policy to favour public transport. We will therefore establish a Cabinet sub-committee on Infrastructure to explore the benefits to the public transport passenger of more diverse bus service provision [...] The rural transport network is vital for rural communities as a reliable and sustainable transport service. We will maintain and extend the Rural Transport Programme with other local transport services as much as is practicable.

Will the Minister of State ensure the Government rejigs the subsidised routes to include Abbeyleix and Durrow? That is essential and is in keeping with the programme for Government.

Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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I would also like to request that meeting. I requested a meeting with the Minister last week, so it is to be hoped we can have it. It is vital that Johnstown, Cullahill, Durrow and Abbeyleix are protected. There needs to be a public service obligation for the route. I question the issue of commercial viability, and the same case can be made for Mountrath and Borris-in-Ossory on the N7 route. It is proven that the existence of bus shelters leads to more people using the bus. We need to work with companies like Adshel and the local county councils to put bus shelters in place to enhance these routes and make them commercially viable.

We cannot wipe away this service completely. The Minister of State mentioned in her reply that the new route will save 50 minutes. According to the proposed timetable and the old timetable, it will save half an hour. The motorways are longer in some cases, while buses can only travel at a maximum of 100 km/h per hour on both the motorways and the old N7 and N8. I question the notion that it will save all this time. It is unrealistic. The timetable is unworkable for a number of reasons that I will not go into due to time constraints. I pointed that out to the Bus Éireann representatives today. I ask the Minister of State to take back the message that we want this route retained and the service improved.

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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I will convey the request for the meeting and I am sure it will be granted. The sub-committee to which Deputy Flanagan referred has been set up and it is very much about alternative modes of transport and rural transport. I am not saying the towns of Durrow and Abbeyleix are strictly rural, but they are not enormous areas of population either. We have to take a look at things like this, but I will convey the request for a meeting on behalf of both Deputies, and will also ensure the sub-committee dealing with this area gets a copy of their concerns.