Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Question 192: To ask the Minister for Transport the steps being taken by Bus Éireann to provide low floor wheelchair accessible buses for its fleet; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35979/06]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Significant progress has been made in recent years in the introduction of wheelchair accessible buses to the Bus Éireann fleet. Since the year 2000, all buses purchased by the company for urban services are low floor, wheelchair accessible. That purchasing policy will continue as the bus fleet is replaced and expanded over time. I recently announced that Exchequer funding of up to €50 million would be provided for up to 160 new buses for Bus Éireann in the period commencing 2007 for non-commercial services outside of Dublin, all of which will be wheelchair accessible.

Bus Éireann has already achieved almost 100% fleet conversion to low floor, wheelchair accessible buses on its urban services in the cities of Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford. The company also has a number of low floor, wheelchair accessible buses operating on a number of rural routes and on some commuter routes that were previously served by coaches.

In other urban areas currently served with smaller buses that are not wheelchair accessible, Bus Éireann's policy is to replace those vehicles with wheelchair accessible buses.

While there has been significant progress in the development and provision of accessible buses for city services, the production of wheelchair accessible coaches is at an early stage across Europe and coaches of this type are not readily available. My Department's Sectorial Plan under the Disability Act 2005 addresses the question of accessible long-distance coaches in the light of the COST 349 Report. The Report, based on a major 4-year European research project, made recommendations in October 2005 in respect of accessibility matters for coach-type vehicles. A number of manufacturers are now beginning to put the recommendations into effect on their vehicles.

Bus Éireann has undertaken to acquire a number of these vehicles for operational trials in Ireland.