Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is very welcome to the House. Much been said this evening. I was listening to the debate and it has been interesting. Everyone is in agreement that we need enormous investment in our public transport. I took a few notes that contain references to the safety, accessibility and availability of that transport. We must make it practical and link up our bus and rail services, our greenways and blueways. We must link them and make them usable for everybody. We welcome the considerable investment and the excellent things for public transport in the national development plan. There are some great policies but we have had great policy and endeavour in the past. We need our great ambition to be matched by action because people are getting a little frustrated. They want to get out of their cars and to have a safe, accessible and available public transport system. I had a Commencement matter this morning on the accessibility of public transport and the fact that many of our citizens are barred from access and kept in their homes because of the inaccessibility of our public transport system.I spoke about two incidents. One lady, Vicky Matthews, was stranded on a train at Connolly Station this weekend because there was nobody there to put up a ramp to allow her off the train. She rang and nobody came. Nobody was there to answer the phone. She booked the train 24 hours in advance. There has to be a better way and a far better link-up. The only way that lady got off the train was with the help of a passer-by who was also a passenger on the train. That inequity and inequality in our public transport system is deplorable. Another case involved the 100X bus from Dundalk to Dublin, a major route connecting the capital city and a major town. I heard from a gentleman, John Morgan, who cancelled a trip abroad because he could not get to Dublin Airport due to the bus not being able to take him there. This is not accessible. People are being stopped from living their lives, which is keeping them in their homes and othering them. It really has to end.

I have so much more to say but I would just push for accessible transport.