Results 3,181-3,200 of 6,508 for speaker:Ruairí Ó Murchú

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Coach Sector: Discussion (19 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Coach Sector: Discussion (19 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: It could benefit the company in the sense more people would be using it, but in an awful lot of cases the operators are providing services that are not being provided by anybody else-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Coach Sector: Discussion (19 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: -----and we are talking about, as was said, the paradigm or modal shift. That is only possible if it makes economic sense to people and if the service is there. If neither of those two things is in play then we have a bad circumstance. The council representatives have already dealt with the issue around the licensing and all the difficulties and the processes. A small issue that came to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Coach Sector: Discussion (19 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: That is it. The problem in Louth will be sorted. The problem with me is that in most of my questions I will add a tangent and nearly forget the question I asked. It was put to me that this is something that it should be possible to do online and in an awful lot of cases it is the same document being used over and over again. Is that right?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Coach Sector: Discussion (19 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: All right. That is something we could put down if we were making a list on the streamlining of functions and processes that is necessary.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Coach Sector: Discussion (19 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Okay. There are two other issues. One is training for drivers and there are two elements there. The first is obviously ensuring the driver, the coach and the people using the service are all safe. The second is the financial savings from particular approaches to driving. I do not want to start talking about slowing down or anything like that but do any of the companies on the council...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Coach Sector: Discussion (19 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I accept that. The last thing I will throw in is probably a question I should have asked earlier. I was talking about savings and all the rest of it and we all realise the changed world we are in as regards remote working. A big sell used to be the taxsaver ticket. However, even if you are trying to use rail or buses in the public system, the NTA has not necessarily been able to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Coach Sector: Discussion (19 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: As I say, Matthews Coach Hire seems to have found a solution in respect of that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Coach Sector: Discussion (19 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: That is 100% the case and we need imagination across the board. I thank our guests. I have probably run over my allotted time, which I usually do. I appreciate the interaction. There is a fair amount that we can do as a committee.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Coach Sector: Discussion (19 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: We get the idea behind this report: we are looking for best practice in the future. As has been outlined, we know there are major difficulties with how we deal with all the variables and constants in urban transport. It is not only about reducing emissions: it is also about the other factors such as safety and impacting on those who are involved in active travel. Like any issue, it is easy...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Coach Sector: Discussion (19 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I am asking about policy and specifics.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Coach Sector: Discussion (19 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: We could talk about many issues in that regard, or we could talk about the Ardee bypass and the multiple issues we have, but I accept we are here to discuss this report. The question is how we get to a better place that delivers for everybody in that regard, while taking everything into account from safety to emissions. Apart from the port tunnel, we also hear from coach operators about...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Coach Sector: Discussion (19 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Yes, and there are going to be multiple anomalies in the sense that a particular road would be fine if only people were not living in its vicinity. Certain roadways would probably not be designed today the way they are. Beyond that, there are schools, which create logistical difficulties and safety concerns, in particular at certain times of day.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Coach Sector: Discussion (19 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: What sort of distance is involved?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Coach Sector: Discussion (19 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Is TII looking at the M1?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Coach Sector: Discussion (19 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: There is a huge amount of congestion at the moment.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Coach Sector: Discussion (19 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: But it is something that could be looked at. TII is looking at the general idea.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Coach Sector: Discussion (19 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Therefore, it is a fair enough proposal that we probably need to do a piece of work on it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Coach Sector: Discussion (19 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Okay.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: Bus Coach Sector: Discussion (19 Oct 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: No, I am talking about facilitating coach operators generally from Dundalk, Drogheda and other areas within my constituency, which is why I am concerned about them. In fairness, it was brought to my attention recently by those involved in the business and also by people who use the service. They both came up with the same solution.