Rural isolation is not so easily addressed
CALLS have been made on the Minister for Transport Shane Ross to release € 1m in a bid to ease rural isolation in the wake of stricter drink- driving laws. A new proposal to extend Local Link bus services has been drawn up which if funded, would see 15 rural community bus routes extended.
Anything that reduces rural isolation and provides increased services to countryside dwellers should be welcomed but the reality is that a few local bus services is not enough.
These services are limited and often don’t allow users enough time at their destination before they must return.
This is not the fault of the service provider because they have to run on an ever tightening budget and on the basis of supply and demand but for many people living miles away from the nearest town or village, this doesn’t meet their needs.
There is so much talk about the impact that drink-driving laws has had on rural Ireland - complete rubbish for the most part.
Anyone who wants to use lack of rural services to endorse the merits of being able to drink and then happily drive home does not have the best interests of small Irish communities at heart.
If they did, they would surely understand that damage that a death caused by a drunk driver would have on any small community in the country.
The problem is not about providing a taxi for people to go to the pub. If anything, this is the easiest form of transport to arrange.
What is lacking, is a regular link for people to access public transport systems, which recognises the timetables for national train and bus services.
Every pensioner in the country has a free travel pass but how are they supposed to use it if they can’t get into town to catch said transport? What they end up doing is paying private taxi companies to bring them into town, a fee which the likely could do without having to pay.
While it is not viable to run community transport services as often as perhaps people would like, there would be merit in the introduction of a subsidised scheme where rural dwellers, older people in particular could hire a local taxi but have a portion of the cost covered. This would serve the communities well, while also providing business for local taxi operators.