Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 255: To ask the Minister for Transport the percentage of buses used for public transport nationwide which are wheelchair accessible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43559/08]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

My Department's Sectoral Plan under the Disability Act 2005, titled 'Transport Access for All', provides that by end 2012 urban bus services will be fully accessible and that by 2015 practically all vehicles used for stage carriage and rural services will be accessible.

I understand from Dublin Bus that over 70% of its fleet is accessible. Bus Éireann has already met its target of one hundred percent accessibility of its city bus services (Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford) and has purchased a number of new generation accessible inter-urban coaches, which have only recently come on the market. The company also operates accessible buses on some commuter routes and in a number of rural areas.

I understand from Pobal that in funding services under the Rural Transport Programme they require community groups to take accessibility features into consideration when evaluating tenders for local services. In addition, community owned vehicles are either already accessible or are being adapted to ensure that they meet accessibility requirements.

The Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008 requires contracts for the procurement of public transport service to provide, inter alia, for accessibility standards for services. At present I am not empowered in law to make the use of accessible vehicles a requirement for obtaining a licence under the Road Transport Act 1932.

I intend to include such a requirement in the proposals that I am developing to modernise the 1932 Road Transport Act.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 256: To ask the Minister for Transport the percentage of Dublin Bus vehicles which are wheelchair accessible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43560/08]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The percentage of Dublin Bus vehicles which are currently wheelchair accessible is 72%.

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 257: To ask the Minister for Transport the percentage of Iarnród Éireann train carriages which are wheelchair accessible; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43561/08]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Currently 95% of all Iarnród Éireann trains are accessible.

Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 258: To ask the Minister for Transport if he will report on a meeting held between his Department and a community group (details supplied) in County Dublin in June 2008 regarding a public transport matter; the progress to date in addressing the matter discussed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43771/08]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The Minister of State Noel Ahern T.D. along with an official of my Department met with a delegation from the Kew Park Residents Association on 18th June 2008 to discuss residents' needs for the provision of a bus service for their housing estate. The delegation explained that residents in that area currently have no direct access to a bus service to the city centre.

It was explained to the delegation that in August 2007 my Department informed Dublin Bus that a notification to reroute some of their services on the 25 route to serve Kew Park would require Ministerial consent in accordance with section 25 of the Transport Act 1958, due to competition with an existing licence operated by Morton's Coaches. My Department received no such application under section 25.

It was explained to the delegation that it is open to any operator, whether they are a private operator or a state body, to make an application to the Department for the provision of services in any area. The Department can have no influence in directing an operator to serve a particular route and the operation of services is a matter for individual companies.

It was also explained that Dublin Bus is exempt from the current licensing regime but, where proposed services by Dublin Bus are deemed to be in competition with services that are the subject of a licence under the 1932 Act, they are required to obtain Ministerial consent under section 25 of the Transport Act 1958 before they can introduce such services.

Since that meeting Morton's Coaches has ceased to operate the route licence they held for the area. However my Department has not received any further applications from either private operators or notifications from Dublin Bus for the provision of services in the Kew Park region.