Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I want to make sure we have an age-friendly public transport service. There has been significant investment in public transport in the past four years and I acknowledge the Government's commitment to it. It has made the lives of many people much easier in terms of getting around. We have issues where bus shelters have been provided, which are appropriate, but a timetable has not been provided in them.

A man called to my office in Bandon yesterday. A brand new bus shelter has been provided in the town but this man cannot get the timetable for the service unless he goes online. He is of a significant age. The only way he can get the information is to ring his son in Dublin and ask him to google the timetable. We need to make sure timetables for the public transport network are provided at bus shelters. Having timetables strictly online does not work.

The bus office in Cork tells people to google the information and look it up online because the information is on the website. There is still a place for paper in our society. We know that cash is still king in many ways. When it comes to our ageing population, a certain demographic needs information on bus timetables to be provided in bus shelters. Not everyone can access the online network. People are shying away from going on public transportation. It is a small but important issue.

We need joined-up thinking to ensure we connect everyone in society. Everyone of a certain age needs the information to be made available to him or her. Unfortunately, because of the way the NTA has moved its model in the past couple of years, timetable information is only available online. This has knock-on implications for the older generation which has free transportation. Older people are shying away from getting the bus because they do not know when it will turn up.I suggest that we send correspondence to the Minister for Transport about this issue in order that he can make the NTA aware of this issue so the authority can get significant movement to ensure there is age inclusivity when it comes to this issue.