Maria Corrigan (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Noel Ahern. I am pleased to have an opportunity to speak on this important issue which has a real impact on people's quality of life. I was struck by the contributions made by speakers on all sides of the Chamber. I will not repeat what has been said but I support many of the points made.

I wish to focus on a number of the report's recommendations. There has never been a better time to consider how we can improve the public transport service for customers, increase efficiency and save money. I note that the report recommends an increased move towards cashless transactions and the introduction of an integrated smart card ticketing system. The report outlines that such a system would be especially important to decrease the amount of time buses are stopped at bus stops. As buses operate on a driver-only system, customers paying cash can result in an increased amount of standing time. I strongly support the recommendation for a number of reasons that go beyond the decrease in the amount of bus dwelling time. It is essential to have an integrated ticketing system if we are serious about enhancing the attractiveness of public transport as a viable option for the travelling public and if we are serious about asking people to leave cars at home.

When reading that section of the report I was reminded of the time I spoke to staff in Dublin Bus about the provision of a shuttle service that would not necessarily go to town but would link into other modes of transport, for example, the Luas or DART. I was told such a service would never work because people would not use it and that I did not understand the psychology of the commuter. As a psychologist I was especially taken with being told I did not understand the psychology of the commuter. I was informed that commuters do not like to switch vehicles and that they like to get from the start of their journey to their destination using only one vehicle. I was not able to locate the study that came to that conclusion and I am not sure which psychologist carried it out but we have all had opportunities to travel abroad and utilise complex transport systems and we do not appear to mind if we have to switch vehicles in other countries. I do not see what psychology has to do with us not wishing to switch vehicles when we come back to Dublin, Cork, Galway or wherever.

I believe that being asked to pay twice for the same journey is an issue for commuters. Without an integrated ticketing system in place people are asked to pay for the bus that takes them to the Luas station and then they must buy another ticket at a vending machine to use the Luas. I welcome the fact that so much work has gone into the integrated ticketing system and that we are coming to the stage where it will be possible to pilot it. I urge the Minister to look carefully at the fare structure we put in place for the system. It could be useful to base it around designated travel zones to get the maximum benefit from the system. The journey from Leopardstown to Stillorgan could be one travel zone and from Stillorgan to Donnybrook could be another one so that a journey from Leopardstown into the city could be two or three travel zones. It should not matter how many vehicles one utilises to get from one point to the other if the journey cost is based on the number of travel zones involved. That system is in place in London and New York, for example, and it is beneficial in that one pays once for the journey and one does not have to spend time buying another ticket. The recommendation on real time passenger information contained in the report is a practical one that would be of benefit also.

I understand that given the economic circumstances we will have to consider readjusting some of the services we provide. I urge that those changes be made on the basis of knowing and meeting customer need. We must bear in mind that certain customers do not have an alternative. I refer to schoolchildren going to school, students going to college, commuters going to work or older people living within the community. We should readjust our thinking and not assume that all journeys begin and end in the city centre. That comes across strongly in the report. We must consider introducing radial routes, alternative modes of transport and taking people directly to centres of public use such as schools, shopping centres or hospitals.

Dublin Bus must take into account that continuing infrastructural developments such as the ongoing development of the Luas system will present a challenge to it. There is no point in it trying to compete directly with the routes served by the Luas. Rather it would be more beneficial, efficient and better value for money if Dublin Bus could consider ways to augment and supplement the transport options provided by the Luas.