The government has refused to say whether free travel will be available after 2016 on transport services that may be privatised, according to Donegal Deputy Charlie McConalogue.
In response to a Parliamentary Question from Fianna Fáil, the Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton refused to state whether the free travel entitlement will be retained in full after the privatisation of certain services.
“We have highlighted to Minister Burton the need to ensure that all transport services that currently offer free travel continue to do so when they are tendered out to private contractors by the National Transport Authority,” explained Deputy McConalogue.
In response to questions from Fianna Fáil the Minister said “I understand that the National Transport Authority earlier this month launched a public consultation process on its plans to enter into another direct award contract with Dublin and Bus Éireann from December 2014, to amend those contracts in 2016 to reduce the services within those contracts by approximately 10% and, to provide the removed services through separate contracts following an open tender process.
“An interdepartmental group, chaired by my Department and including the Department of Transport and the NTA, is currently examining the free travel scheme. This issue is one of the issues which will be considered as part of that review”
Deputy McConalogue continued, “When you remove the official jargon from this reply, it is clear that the free travel scheme is under review and that its future is in doubt.
“It’s also clear that the Minister is not willing to give any assurance whatsoever in relation to the continuation of free travel services on the ‘removed services’ – in other words, those services that will be privatised.
“I am now calling on the Minister to clarify once and for all what her policy is in relation to free travel. She needs to clearly state whether or not it is her intention to continue with the universal free travel that has been available on all public transport since it was introduced by Fianna Fáil back in the ‘60s.”
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