Failure Of Bus Eireann To Comply With Public Health Guidelines

People Before Profit TD calls for urgent action to address failure of Bus Eireann to comply with public health guidelines and protect bus drivers

Richard Boyd Barrett will also call for financial and other supports for taxi drivers whose industry faces devastation

Deputy Boyd Barrett will also call on the Minister to get rid of the 5-year requirement in the cycle to work scheme and extend it to those on social welfare payments

In the Dáil today, Richard Boyd Barrett TD for People Before Profit will call for urgent action by government and the Minister for Transport to address the failure of Bus Eireann to comply with public health guidelines and government safety protocols on their fleet, to protect bus drivers.

Deputy Boyd Barrett will also highlight, on behalf of Taxi drivers, the devastation of their industry affecting 20,000 taxi drivers and will call for a financial and other package of supports, including supports to ensure the health and safety of drivers.  

Deputy Boyd Barrett will also call on the Minister to get rid of the 5 year requirement in the cycle to work scheme and extend it to those on social welfare payments to allow all those who have taken up cycling in the current health crisis, to continue this beneficial way of commuting.

Deputy Boyd Barrett said: “I have been informed by Bus Eireann drivers that Bus Eireann have failed to implement public health and return to work protocols on 90% of its fleet, despite these protocols published by the government on May 9.  

“There are no screens on buses to protect workers and they are also forced to handle cash from passengers.  They also say that the promised mobile cleaning and disinfectant units are not working properly to clean and disinfect the fleet.

“Bus workers are very worried and demanding action before the return of significant numbers of passengers next Monday.

In relation to Taxi drivers Richard Boyd Barrett said: “The livelihoods of 20,000 Taxi drivers are facing devastation.

“Even with the road-map to return to work, the taxi industry faces a massive crisis in the medium to long term, because its viability is strongly linked to the live entertainment industry, sports events, tourism and large gatherings of people, all of which will be drastically impacted by the crisis in the foreseeable future.  Taxi drivers who have mortgages, insurance costs, car loans need a financial package of supports.

“They need certainty that income supports for taxi drivers will last as long as their industry is significantly impacted by the pandemic. Taxi drivers leaving the industry should be allowed to sell their license back to the NTA or sell it on.  

“They also need support for NTA to refit their cars with partitions between driver and passengers and support to ensure they have masks and sanitisers.

“Bus workers and taxi drivers are essential frontline workers; they need the government’s support and protection.”