Shane Ross (Independent)

I do not want to make trouble for the Government. This proposal should be considered and the Minister should think of this as a radical alternative. A significant number of cars would be removed from the road. He could go further and incentivise drivers to carry three or four people in their cars and not travel alone rather than penalising them. That would also remove cars from the road if the Government is serious. Public transport is not only about building more roads and making the system more efficient but it is also about incentivising people to make that choice. The Minister of State should give consideration to this. I am interested in his views. I apologise for not having the figure for the cost to the Exchequer, which I obtained from CIE. The Luas, buses, the DART and the metro should all be free. The last time this happened was in communist Russia. That is not a good reason for failing to do this if it works and takes cars off the road.