Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 1145: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if all current and future private transport operators will have an obligation to carry people with free travel passes. [43949/06]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Question 1156: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if it is intended to provide taxi services for pensioners residing in remote rural areas which have no public transport service; when such services will become available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1306/07]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1145 and 1156 together.

The free travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. These include road, rail and ferry services provided by companies such as Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, as well as Luas and services provided by over 80 private transport operators. The vast majority of private contractors providing services under the scheme operate in rural areas.

I am always willing to consider applications from licensed private transport operators who may wish to participate in the free travel scheme. However, while my Department pays transport providers to operate the free travel scheme, it is not in a position to provide transport services where none currently exist or to compel operators to participate in the scheme.

Various alternatives to the existing system, including the use of vouchers, have been examined. A voucher type system, however, which would be open to a wide range of transport providers including taxis and hackneys, would be extremely difficult to administer, open to abuse and unlikely to be sufficient to afford an acceptable amount of travel.

The issue of access to public transport in rural areas is being addressed at present through the Rural Transport Initiative, which is being managed by Pobal, formerly Area Development Management (ADM) on behalf of my colleague the Minister for Transport. My Department contributed €500,000 to the initiative in 2004, €750,000 in 2005 and €850,000 in 2006, to ensure that free travel pass holders continue to have access to community based transport services.

I will continue to review the operation of the free travel scheme with a view to identifying the scope for further improvements as resources permit.