Taxi vouchers proposed for rural transport

Taxi vouchers proposed for rural transport


Anton McNulty

VOLUNTARY groups in rural communities will have to get involved in rolling out rural transport in order for a proposed taxi voucher scheme to be a success.
Last week, the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs recommended the establishment of a new statutory transport authority with responsibility for the delivery of rural transport.
Among the proposals made by the committee were to provide vouchers to allow the elderly to  more easily avail of private taxi services; extend the free travel pass; redeploy CIE school buses outside normal school-run periods, and provide a special service for the elderly on pension payment day.
Fine Gael TD, Michael Ring who sits on the committee told The Mayo News that similar schemes have worked in England and other countries and there was no reason why they can not work here. He said Bus Éireann services had cut 100 services from rural Ireland and a body to provide rural transport needs to be established.
“We have made six or seven recommendations and there is no reason why a scheme cannot be put in place to provide an option for rural transport. People will get so many vouchers for the week and give them to the taxi driver who will collect his money at the end of the week. It has been done with butter vouchers in the past. We need the voluntary aspect of a community to get involved or else it will not work but I have no doubt that if a pilot scheme was put in place it will work,” he said.
Currently €10 million is provided for Rural Transport from the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs which Deputy Ring described as ‘pittance’ and said that these proposals could be funded by the Carbon Tax fund.
“Rural Ireland pays more in carbon tax because without a proper public transport service they use cars more and spend more money on diesel. Money collected from carbon tax should be ring-fenced for this job and a body set up to deal with rural transport. We don’t want anymore quangos but civil servants can be moved to deal with this issue.”
Deputy Ring who is the Fine Gael spokesperson on Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs also warned against suggestions that the Department was to be scrapped following a cabinet reshuffle.
“This Department was set up because of the neglect shown to rural Ireland and it will be a disgrace if this happens. It is doing some good things and some not so good but it gives rural Ireland a voice in the cabinet and I want to see it left, whoever is the Minister,” he concluded.