New Free Travel Row

[Mark Gleeson]

https://www.independent.ie/irish-new...-37032725.html

A Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting has heard calls for Public Expenditure and Reform secretary general Robert Watt to be sacked.

Fine Gael senator Jerry Buttimer told the meeting Mr Watt should be sacked for suggesting people who hold free bus passes should be banned from using public transport during rush hour.

[ACustomer]

The Indo is running a story about a suggestion from a senior civil servant that some peak-hour limitations be put on the use of the FTP: https://www.independent.ie/irish-new...-37032725.html

Let me state an interest: I am the holder of a FTP for seniors. However the over-the-top reaction from politicians is woeful. Provision of "free" travel outside peak hours costs operators almost nothing. Peak hours are an entirely different matter. Failure to recognise this and resorting to abusive comments about the civil servant (Robert Watt) shows what cowards we have in politics.

The minister for transport (a Mr Shane Ross, in case you thought he was minister for justice) also waxed indignant about the matter. He should know that failure of his department and also the dept of social protection to have a proper level of support for the FTP scheme is the main source of the problem. As far as I am aware, the allocation to the CIE group of companies is a lump sum, which has been constant or reducing for years (it may have increased in 2017/8). This is no way to run the scheme, which should reward providers on a usage basis.

This is the first thing I have seen Ross say about public transport for ages. Show what a poor minister he is, even by the undemanding standards of Irish politics.

[Mark Gleeson]

If all we did was to remove the companion pass and only issue it when medically needed (i.e. cannot travel without) it would clean things up

The whole scheme is a mess

[comcor]

Originally Posted by ACustomer

Let me state an interest: I am the holder of a FTP for seniors. However the over-the-top reaction from politicians is woeful. Provision of "free" travel outside peak hours costs operators almost nothing. Peak hours are an entirely different matter.

The big question mark I would have about withdrawing at Peak hours is regarding FTP holders who are attending appointments, especially medical appointments. This is getting even more of an issue as specialist treatment gets more concentrated into a small number of hospitals (I honestly wouldn't be surprised if in my lifetime the list is down to three in Dublin plus CUH) and people have to travel from around the country to attend. We can't really deny Peak travel to those who are going to necessary, possibly lifesaving, appointments. Now you could put in place an exemption for those who have documentary proof of an appointment, but the system gets bureaucratic and the costs may exceed the saivings from such a scheme.

[Mark Gleeson]

I don't think there is even a point to start thinking about doing this,

Keep it very very simple
1. If you have a state pension of any type you get free travel
2. No companions unless medical need (i.e. must be accompanied and the pass is invalid unless accompanied) this is a serious issue currently
3. Anyone with has a disability or life long medical condition (this needs careful definition)
4. Transport providers get full commercial value paid by the state, less a discount of 10-15%
5. No passes issued for any other reason, no weird rules, no exceptions.
6. Only PSC card will be accepted
7. Immediate cancellation/suspension of pass in the event the pass holder in any way breaks the conditions or is in breach of any bye laws

[James Howard]

On the medical appointment issue, I'd suggest that the HSE should issue a public transport voucher with every medical appointment that is entirely separate from the Free Travel scheme.

This way, they would be forced to properly consider the full economic cost of centralisation of services. At the moment, a lot of their savings are simply pushing costs onto either CIE or the patients.

[Thomas J Stamp]

any medical appointment i got (or relations) seesm to be about 9 or 10 am, so the FTP is needed then.


there is another solution which the TD's are avoiding - increase capacity, including BAC. BAC are being forced by the NTA to replace their fleet with buses of lower capacity as well as hand over buses to Go Ahead. Madness.