Transport: Minister for Transport Martin Cullen has reiterated his commitment to bringing proposals to Cabinet in the coming weeks for the funding of nearly 300 buses for Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann.
He was responding at the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting in Westport yesterday to concerns from Dublin-based TDs and Senators about delays in the delivery of additional vehicles for Dublin Bus to provide additional services throughout the city.
Amid an ongoing deadlock within Government on the future of the bus market, backbench TDs said their priority was to ensure that Dublin Bus received funding to provide additional buses. This contrasts with Progressive Democrats demands that funding for the additional buses should be conditional on a new regulatory system that would allow for competition on existing routes in certain cases.
Mr Cullen told TDs at the meeting that he would also be bringing proposals to Government for a new regulatory system. While the system would mean a "controlled liberalisation" of the market, he said it would not result in the throwing open of a large proportion of existing routes to competition from the private sector.
To date the PDs have been seeking a regulatory system which would allow private operators to come into existing bus routes, similar to that in London.
Speaking after the morning session on transport, the economy and energy, Dublin Mid West TD John Curran said Mr Cullen had provided the commitment on additional buses after it was raised in July consultations by a number of Dublin-based TDs.
Mr Curran, who acted as rapporteur for the session, said the primary worry was that the im- provements such as a metro and additional Luas lines promised in Transport 21 would take between five and 10 years to deliver.
"We need an immediate solution and Dublin Bus is in the market. The Dublin Bus fleet should be increased and increased immediately."
TDs and Senators were also given personalised reports about the impact of the €35 billion Transport 21 in their areas, following a series of queries at July's parliamentary party meeting.
Mr Curran also reported to the meeting on backbencher views on energy and economic reform. TDs were seeking a review of the regulatory system for companies in order to reduce red tape for small and medium enterprises, he said. TDs were also seeking additional supports for small and medium enterprises to grow their businesses and they wanted to see greater support for farmers to replace sugar beet and traditional crops with biofuel crops.