Vol. 524 No. 6
260 Dr. O'Hanlon asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if there are plans to integrate transport in rural areas provided for school transport, health board other than acute ambulance transport, free travel for the elderly and buses and minibuses provided to voluntary organisations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23496/00]
The free travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services. These include road, rail and ferry services provided by semi-State companies such as Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, as well as services provided by some 75 private transport operators. The vast majority of these private contractors operate in rural areas. My Department is always willing to consider further applications from licensed private transport operators who may wish to participate in the free travel scheme.
A review of the free schemes was published in April this year by the Policy Institute, Trinity College Dublin. The review considered the difficulties involved in access to public transport services. In this regard it notes that there are two
main groups affected: those who have a disability which prevents them using the service and those for whom a service does not exist, which mainly affects those living in rural areas. This problem is part of a wider social and infrastructure problem affecting all those who are disadvantaged and who can neither afford their own transport nor avail of access to public transport.
The report notes that while my Department pays transport providers to operate the free travel scheme, the scheme itself cannot provide services where none exist, nor is it in a position to provide vehicles accessible to people with disabilities. These are matters for the transport providers concerned and for my colleague the Minister for Public Enterprise who has responsibility for public transport. Similarly, my Department has no remit in the integration of different transport providers.
However, the review of the free schemes does recommend that a social transport fund be supported and made available to voluntary and community based organisations for the provision of local transport initiatives that would be unlikely to operate without a subsidy. Such a fund would be mainly social in nature and could facilitate the provision of wheelchair accessible vehicles. The review considered it appropriate that such a fund could be managed locally, perhaps by the local authorities, in view of their knowledge of local services and to maintain community autonomy.
The recommendations made in the review are being examined in the context of future budgets and available resources.
