Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Fine Gael)
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274. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if private bus operators can now request a review of their existing free travel pass allocation relative to their current fare structure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6658/17]

Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Fine Gael)
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275. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the average percentage payment of the free travel pass to bus operators, excluding Bus Éireann, with regard to fare income; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6659/17]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 274 and 275 together.

Transport companies participating in the free travel scheme are paid on the basis of fares foregone. This is the spare capacity an operator might have were it not for their participation in the free travel scheme.

The amount my Department pays to private operators is determined by way of survey of their passenger numbers at a given point in time. Following the survey an average fee is agreed with the operator, discounted by 30% to reflect the fares foregone nature of the scheme and paid on a monthly basis. Given that this approach is very specific to an individual company’s operation, these arrangements do not lend themselves to direct comparisons between operators. It is open to any of the private operators in the free travel scheme to apply for a review of their rate of payment and the operator will then be asked to complete a six month survey of passenger numbers.

The payment to private operators participating in the free travel scheme in 2016 was €8.5m.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.