asked the Minister for Communications if in view of the continuing failure of CIE to offer a bus service to the people of Finglas West he will consider either licensing private buses to operate there at evening time and/or allowing taxis to take groups of passengers sharing fares.
Written Answers. - Finglas West Transport Service.
346.
Under the Road Transport Act, 1932, any suitably qualified person may apply to the Minister for Communications for a licence authorising him to carry on a specified road passenger service. The Minister in considering the grant or refusal of an application for such a licence is required to have regard to, inter alia, whether the proposed service is required in the public interest taking account of the passenger road services and other forms of passenger transport available to the public on or in the neighbourhood of the route of the proposed service.
No application has been received in my Department from a bus operator for the operation of a bus service in the limited area in Finglas affected by the curtailment of CIE services. Any such application would be considered on its merits. In that connection, there would be a need to bear in mind that CIE, the existing operator, is prevented from providing full normal services in the area because of causes outside the Board's control.
Apart from the fact that the operation of any type of taxi service must comply with the provisions of the Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) Regulations, 1963-1983, made by the Minister for the Environment, a taxi service involving the charging of separate fares would appear to constitute a road passenger service within the meaning of the Road Transport Act, 1932, and would accordingly be subject to the licensing requirements which apply to buses operating road passenger services.
I am aware that there have been numerous efforts to solve the difficulties which gave rise to the curtailment of services in the Finglas area and I hope that solutions will be found in the near future.