Vol. 502 No. 3
169 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for Public Enterprise if she will ensure that as bus and rail capacity increases in the years ahead, access for the disabled will be a consistent principle in the acquisition of rail cars, buses and other vehicles for public transport purposes; and if the Government as a matter of policy will insist on this being adhered to. [7943/99]
It is and always has been my policy that transport operators, and in particular the State transport companies, should provide the highest possible degree of accessibility. I am committed to bringing about a situation where public transport facilities are fully accessible to all at the earliest possible date. The CIE companies are fully aware of my policy in this regard and I am satisfied that they are doing all in their power to achieve this goal.
Bus Átha Cliath currently has six low floor single decker buses in operation on the No. 3 route, Belfield to Drumcondra, and the company has given a commitment that, from now on, all single deck buses due for renewal will be replaced by low floor equivalents.
At my request, the company is preparing a broad programme of trials of possible low floor buses. I expect the trials to include six double deck, one articulated, and one alternative fuel bus. These trials, with the experience of existing low floor single deck buses and a further 20 fully accessible 33 seater midi buses which the company will purchase this year will provide the basis for decisions on the future fleet replacement programme. Depending on the results of the pilot tests, Bus Átha Cliath should be in a position to begin ordering accessible double decker buses from 2000.
Bus Éireann has one low floor single deck bus operating on the Bishopstown route in Cork. A wheelchair accessible school bus is also in service in Cork city. A further ten low floor vehicles are on order. Bus Éireann states that these vehicles are due for delivery in early summer and will be put into service on the company's Cork and Limerick city routes.
Considerable progress has been made in making the railway accessible to people with disabilities. Iarnród Éireann has published an accessibility guide for passengers. Almost all of the 90 mainline stations are accessible by wheelchair users. All of the newer rail passenger carriages, including the DART, are accessible by wheelchair users. In addition, the new DART stations at Drumcondra and Clontarf Road and the upgraded Dun Laoghaire station are all fully accessible.
I am pleased to report that each of the companies, Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, have established user groups representative of people with disabilities. The input from these groups gives the companies valuable assistance in their ongoing programmes of improving the suitability of their services for mobility impaired customers.
