Accessible public transport for disability
Deputy Robert Troy described a case where a disabled passenger was left stranded and asked for a commitment to improve accessibility. The Taoiseach said he would discuss the issue again with the relevant Ministers and acknowledged that public transport was still not fully accessible.
The programme for partnership Government states "people with disabilities should be supported in maximising their potential, by removing barriers". During the weekend Mr. James Cawley, a young teacher who is a disability advocate, gave 50 hours' notice of his intention to travel on Bus Éireann. He was forced to take a trip around the country and pay €200 in taxi fares to make a journey from Ballina to Longford. This is not the first time, unfortunately, that we have heard of stories of people with a disability left stranded by our public transport network. Can the Taoiseach give a commitment that he will talk to the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport and the Minister of State with responsibility for disability issues to ensure that people who have mobility issues or disabilities can at the very minimum be guaranteed that they can avail of public transport when they give the required notice? Currently, unfortunately, that is not happening.
Comment on this
I can certainly give that commitment. The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross, the Minister of State with special responsibility for disability issues, Deputy Finian McGrath, and I spoke about this last week. The Deputy will be aware that unfortunately, our public transport is not 100% accessible and that creates problems. However, over time, more and more of it is becoming accessible. I can certainly commit to discussing the issue with these members of the Government again.