21 March 2020
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Bus routes must be nationalised and funded to survive Coronavirus’s impact, says Politician
Workers’ Party councillor Ted Tynan has called for all long-distance bus services serving Cork, along with a range of other public transport options, to be nationalised, in order to survive the impact of the Coronavirus.
Cllr. Tynan said:
“On Monday, Bus Éireann announced their Expressway service may not survive the Coronovirus outbreak. Citylink have now ceased all services, including their Cork-Galway service.
“Because of the Fine Gael government’s obsessive refusal to invest properly in the public transport services it owns, it is entirely possible that, at the end of this crisis, publicly-owned transport services will no longer exist, and we will be left at the mercy of private operators.”
The Cork City councillor continued:
“We do not need a bailout for the multitude of private companies operating on our transport networks across Ireland – including those such as Go Ahead who have contracts with the state based on assumptions of passenger numbers.
“What we need is a clear plan to bring all public transport into public ownership, and for it to be properly funded. This should include tram, rail, bus, air and international ferry services.”
Cllr. Tynan concluded:
“This crisis has demonstrated the total inability of private corporations to manage or safeguard the basic needs of the country’s citizens – whether that’s healthcare, medical supplies or, in this instance, transport.
“Cork needs secure transport links to the rest of the country. With the transport sector on its knees, now is the time to secure this by forming a single, well-funded public transport company with sole authority for transport provision in Ireland.”