Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 20 Nov 2002

Vol. 557 No. 5

Written Answers. - Public Transport.

John Cregan

Ceist:

199 Mr. Cregan asked the Minister for Transport if it is the policy of Bus Éireann to provide accessible transport for disabled persons; and if he will have the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kilkenny raised with the company with a view to having accessible transport made available in this case. [22979/02]

Minister for Transport (Mr. Brennan)

Bus Éireann is very conscious of the needs of its customers with mobility difficulties and it is the company's policy to procure, wherever possible, wheelchair accessible vehicles as part of its fleet replacement programme. In recent years, Bus Éireann has converted its entire regular urban bus fleets in Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford to low-floor wheelchair accessible vehicles. In addition, the company is operating some 20 low-floor wheelchair accessible buses on a number of local rural services and has six low-floor buses on the Ashbourne-Dublin commuter route.

However, Bus Éireann's inter-city and long distance services are operated by coach type vehicles and none of these is wheelchair accessible at present. The route between Callan and Cork falls within this category of service. I am informed by Bus Éireann that there are no major manufacturers producing low floor wheelchair accessible coaches for the long distance market on any significant scale. The problem of access to inter-city coach services for the mobility impaired is one that is faced by most European countries and is currently the subject of a COST, co-operation in the field of scientific and technical research, action being undertaken under the auspices of the EU. Bus Éireann is represented on the COST working group. In this particular case, there may be a role for my colleagues, the Ministers for Education and Science and Health and Children, and I will pass on the details supplied by the Deputy to both Ministers.