Kieran O'Donnell (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is welcome that Norwegian Air International will operate two new flights out of Shannon Airport from 1 July to Boston and New York. Shannon Airport provides a fantastic service. I encourage people in Dublin and elsewhere who face chaotic volumes of traffic in getting to Dublin Airport to come down the duel carriageway to Shannon Airport as it is a far better experience.

I want to bring up the issue of Bus Éireann. When representatives of the National Transport Authority were before the Joint Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport yesterday, I put a number of questions to them. I am looking at the issue in the context of the Expressway route from Limerick to Dublin. Many people in Limerick city are working for Bus Éireann and fearful for their jobs. There is a lack of proper data to engage in proper due diligence on Expressway routes. The service mentioned does not qualify as a public service obligation, PSO, service, even though many towns are served along the route. Private operators and Bus Éireann operate from the same points. One serves Nenagh, Roscrea and Portlaoise, while the others will stop at one destination along the route. The price is roughly the same for both. However, a person who has a free travel pass cannot travel on the private bus service. There is anecdotal evidence that the great majority of those who travel on the Bus Éireann Expressway service have a free travel pass. The worry, therefore, is that there is not a level playing field. I have asked the Department of Social Protection, officials of which were before the Joint Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport yesterday, for empirical data for the numbers of travel passes used by OAPs, people who have carers and companion passes and others. The National Transport Authority does not request data from Bus Éireann for the numbers who use free travel passes on non-PSO routes. My worry is that if the Bus Éireann Expressway route goes, there will be a number of consequences, including a lack of competition and a loss of jobs. Ordinary people working for Bus Éireann and based in Limerick are extremely worried. We need to have proper empirical data in order that we can engage in proper due diligence to see what exactly the position is and provide for a level playing field.