Paul Bradford (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy McGinley, and the debate. We have had previous debates on smarter travel. It is an evolving process but one which politicians from all parties welcome. Progress has been made and I hope will continue to be made. When we think of smarter travel, from the perspective of the public it must be reliable and cost effective. Senator Barrett or Senator Quinn referred to the cost of fares by the broader CIE group, Iarnród Éireann. In one sense it reminds me of VHI, which has simply one solution to economic difficulties and the cost of providing its service, which is to increase the cost to the consumer. There is never a tackling of the cost issue at base level or an attempt to provide service at a cheaper rate. It simply responds to every difficulty by increasing the price of train and bus travel. If the smarter travel concept is to expand we must ensure it is an economic option, particularly in hard pressed times. The cost of fares must be central to the argument.

The Minster of State would know better than me that, perhaps, there was a time when the level of subsidy to the State travel companies was more substantial. Around the same time there were food and other subsidies where we saw certain social problems in need of Government intervention. Obviously we do not have the resources or the political will to do so now but every effort must be made to ensure the cost of travel is kept to a minimum because it impacts on a person's wages and economic well-being. There is also the ongoing debate about welfare versus work. We are informed that there is a significant number of people for whom it does not pay to go to work; the cost of travel is part of the equation and we must continue to focus on it.

I support the progress made in the Dublin bike hire scheme but it needs to expanded in so far as that is possible across the country.

In regard to smarter travel, I drive around some of the streets and roads in Dublin and outside on the way to and from Cork where I see 24 hour bus lanes that are not used for 16 or 17 hours of the day. Is that smart travel? I have seen bus lanes during hours closer to peak hours which do not have full occupancy while simultaneously there is a huge backlog of vehicular traffic. If we believe in smarter travel we must address that issue.

The motorist and the car cannot be pushed out of the debate. There is nothing inherently wrong with being a motorist or owning or using a car for social or leisure activity. The streets and roads in Dublin are in an horrific condition. There was a time when potholes were associated with counties Cavan and Monaghan and rural areas but the condition of some of the roads in Dublin is worse than the worst of the rural roads and certainly investment is needed.

The issue of public service obligation tendering and competition was mentioned by Senators Barrett and O'Neill. There is no economic activity which has not benefited from competition. Sometimes we have a tendency to go from one extreme to another. From historical knowledge of the air travel industry, if we had been over-protective of Aer Lingus and had said no to Ryanair and blocked Michael O'Leary and others from entering the market, the average citizen could not afford the cost of a Dublin-London air ticket. Therefore, competition worked wonders for the airline industry. That concept, perhaps, with a degree of regulation and goodwill on both sides, needs be introduced urgently to the broader transport equation.

I know the group has a national lobby organisation. We have all heard from some of the coach operators and the private bus operators from time to time. Rightly or wrongly, they have pointed out certain routes and services and claimed that they can provide them at a reasonable economic cost. These are routes which are not provided. We should have the political will and flexibility to allow some routes to commence allowing private operators. Perhaps it could be done for a trial period to see how the system works.

Travel, transport and economic activity are all part of the equation and are essential for the recovery of the country. We need to expand the sector and competition will help. I welcome the debate and the Minister of State's initiative. We must think beyond the Dublin or Cork bike schemes because we need to work on many more aspects of smarter travel.