Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 23 May 2013
226. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if it is his intention to remove the free travel pass for the rural transport programme, in effect meaning that passengers will have an almost 70% fare hike in 2014. [24817/13]
View answerI am advised by the National Transport Authority, who have been assigned responsibility for managing the Rural Transport Programme (RTP), that Free Travel Pass (FTP) funding is awarded to Pobal by the Department of Social Protection. Pobal manage the FTP funding and allocate it to RTP groups based on the previous years’ passenger statistics and on the condition that FTP passengers will be facilitated on RTP services. Over the last number of years €1.5 million per annum has been awarded to Pobal by the Department of Social Protection for allocation to RTP groups.
The operation of the Free Travel Scheme is the responsibility of the Department of Social Protection and it is currently being examined by a working group of that Department. There are currently no proposals to change the allocation of FTP funding under the RTP.
