Quinn seeks 'efficient' free travel provision

SEANAD REPORT:IT WAS time to look at how free travel could be provided more efficiently, Feargal Quinn (Ind) said. Referring to the need to trim public spending, he wondered to what extent the issue of free travel was being questioned.

It had been introduced to enable the elderly to travel at off-peak times when there were empty seats. However, he had recently encountered a woman who was not badly off and who holidayed in Kerry during the summer. A beneficiary of free travel, she broke off her holiday periodically to return to south Dublin to have her hair done.

Mr Quinn said he was not advocating that free travel be ended, but perhaps “we could be more efficient in the manner in which we do it”. Speaking in the debate on the Public Transport Regulation Bill 2009, which seeks to create a modern legal framework for the promotion of regulated competition in the provision of licensed public bus passenger services on a national basis, Mr Quinn noted that the Dublin Bus monopoly was being tackled and that its special treatment needed to be ended. However, he was concerned that a situation might emerge where private operators were allowed to cherry-pick their routes.

Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey told the House that in accordance with the programme for government, the proposed bus licensing regime would provide a level playing field for all participants. The new licensing structure would apply in respect of all commercial bus passenger services, including those provided by Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann.

Fiona O’Malley (PDs) asked if public and private operators would have equal benefits. She had not seen any reference in the Minister’s speech to the advantage public-service operators had in terms of fuel rebates. Brendan Ryan (Lab) said there must be no ideological bias in favour of private operators. Paschal Donohoe (FG) said it was his understanding that investigations into accidents involving buses were largely undertaken by the bus companies.

He hoped the Minister would consider including a provision whereby the new authority would have a function in initiating or reviewing such investigations.

It was disturbing that the Government seemed to have lost the will to lead on the issue of children’s rights, Frances Fitzgerald, Fine Gael leader in the House said. Members of the Committee on the Constitution had been taken aback to hear Minister Barry Andrews announce that the Government was reverting to a formula that gave poor protection to children.

He had taken this line although there was cross-party agreement in the committee that a new wording was needed.