Seanad debates

Thursday, 28 February 2013

1:20 pm

Photo of Paddy BurkePaddy Burke (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Perry.

Photo of Lorraine HigginsLorraine Higgins (Labour)
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I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I thank him for taking the Adjournment matter which is my request that the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport intervene with the National Transport Authority to save bus route 418, which is being discontinued and which operates between Athenry and Galway via Derrydonnell and Oranmore, County Galway. The Minister of State might not be aware that the early morning bus route is an essential service for people who live in and around the Athenry area, particularly for connectivity purposes. My argument for it has been further bolstered given the number of people who have contacted my office and me in recent times following the threat to abolish the route.

I have been in contact with a number of people, including those working in Oranmore and Galway city and the parents of children attending schools in the city and Salthill, who are dependent on the service. These are places a train service cannot reach. On foot of the calls and e-mails, I got in contact with the National Transport Authority and outlined the position. The response I received is that there is insufficient demand for the service. With all due respect to the authority, this is disingenuous given that Athenry is a sizeable commuter town of Galway city. When I was in school in Salthill, the bus was packed every morning at a time when Athenry had a population of 1,000 people. Now, it has 5,000 people and I would hate to think the decision is made in an attempt to force people onto the train in Athenry arising from the significant losses Irish Rail made in the past year. In all circumstances, I ask that the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport intervene in the situation so that this essential and invaluable service is retained for the people of Athenry and its hinterland. While everyone acknowledges we are in recessionary times and that some cutbacks must be made, the decision to deprive a town of a bus route that services 5,000 people and departs at 7.30 a.m. to bring people to work and to school, with its important strategic value in terms of further development, is perplexing. I ask that the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport sees the value of the route to the Athenry community and acts accordingly.

1:30 pm

Photo of John PerryJohn Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I thank Senator Higgins for raising this important issue. I am taking this Adjournment debate on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Leo Varadkar.

The Minister has no role in the bus routes operated by Bus Éireann. The provision of bus services and the routes they take are operational matters for the company in conjunction with the National Transport Authority. Bus Éireann operates a mix of services. Some of these services are commercial services in which it competes on the open market with private operators. It also operates public service obligation, PSO, services. The PSO payment is made to the company to carry out important and necessary bus services that otherwise would not be viable. The Minister recognises there must be a focus on and realistic assessment of the scope and level of PSO contracted services in the years ahead in line with key public transport priorities.

The Minister has made inquiries with the National Transport Authority and it has confirmed that the withdrawal of Bus Eireann's PSO route 418 between Athenry and Galway has been approved by the authority. The approval follows a number of changes to the network of public transport services in the Galway area including the extension of Galway city route 410 to serve Oranmore, the increase in rail services from Athenry to Galway and the licensing of additional bus services between Athenry and Galway to Farrell Travel trading as Buslink. The Minister understands the NTA view that these services adequately meet the demand for travel and between Athenry and Galway and Oranmore and Galway. Oranmore is also well served by Bus Éireann commercial routes 20 and 51 and by Citylink's commercial route between Galway and Dublin City and the airport. The NTA also pointed out that the numbers of passengers travelling between Athenry is insufficient to justify the continuation of route 418.

Photo of Lorraine HigginsLorraine Higgins (Labour)
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Regarding the response, it is all very well saying the extension of the route to serve Oranmore is satisfactory and is the reason another route should be abolished. That does not address the issue for the people living west of Athenry in Mulpit, Derrydonnell and the area east of Oranmore. What will commuters and those attending schools in Galway city do?

Regarding the increase in rail services between Athenry, the bus route goes as far as Salthill every morning. What about the people reliant on the service going as far as Salthill? If one has to go west of Galway city, the train does not go that far.

Regarding the point about Farrell Travel, the company does not operate a service at 7.30 a.m. and does not have an intention to do so. This leaves me at a loss because it is a necessary service and it is regrettable the decision has been made.

Photo of John PerryJohn Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport is carrying out an evaluation of all of the PSO routes in respect of commercial viability. I am sure Senator Higgins has already embarked on engagement with the Bus Éireann manager in the area and discussed the viability of alternative routes. The extension of the Galway route, the additional rail services and the licensing of bus additional services may not be at the time to which Senator Higgins referred, 7.30 a.m., but perhaps she can talk to a private operator in the area, such as Buslink, that may consider taking up the route being withdrawn. I have no doubt a private operator, such as Farrell Travel, may be interested in it if it is as viable as Senator Higgins suggests.

Photo of Lorraine HigginsLorraine Higgins (Labour)
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At the moment there is no service at 7.30 a.m. I ask that the Minister of State conveys my comment on the bus route to the Minister and asks him to organise a delegation from Athenry, Derrydonnell and Mulpit to attend the offices of the National Transport Authority and see if we can make progress on the matter.

Photo of John PerryJohn Perry (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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The arranging of delegations is entirely at the behest of Senator Higgins's office and is not the Minister's job. The Minister has clearly specified what he can do and I would strongly recommend examining it from a business sense. If the viability is so assured, and given that the Minister has said he has no direct responsibility for Bus Éireann, I strongly suggest the Senator speaks to private operators in the area.