John O'Mahony (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I join with others in referring to Bus Éireann, particularly in the context of the Expressway service that seems to be under threat. It is important that the Minister comes before the House as a matter of urgency in order to deal with the matter. We can all jump up and down and the blame game has already started. Ultimately, we need solutions and something does not add up. In the past couple of years there has been much investment in a modern fleet for the Expressway service, providing Wi-Fi and toilets and so on. These are really brilliant buses. Bus Éireann has told us that there have been increases in passenger numbers. However, this may only be on certain routes and it, in turn, would increase the pressure in the context of other routes. We can all jump and down, blame each other and politicise the matter but there is a window of opportunity in terms of doing something about this. Could we tweak the system, perhaps in rural areas? Could services be maintained with smaller buses rather than 53-seaters? We have all seen half-empty buses. There is also the issue of "use it or lose it", etc. We do not want to be here on a Wednesday, seeing strikes tomorrow or the next day. There is a window of opportunity to do something about this. We should work in a calm and collaborative fashion. In order to start that process, the Minister should come before us and outline his plans rather than just saying that the company will be insolvent in two years. What can be done in the immediate future to resolve this matter?