To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if there is a mechanism for supporting the transport coordination units for extending their services for specific purposes, such as providing transport for persons availing of a cycling tourism business, and other opportunities which the units could pursue on a collaborative basis – Seán Kyne
Reply: Minister of State for Rural Transport, Ann Phelan
It is the function of Rural Transport Programme (RTP), under which the Transport Co-ordination Units manage rural transport services on behalf of the National Transport Authority (NTA), to address social exclusion in rural areas arising from unmet public transport needs. While it is envisaged that the newly established TCUs will play an important role in embedding integration within transport services planning, primarily by co-ordinating requirements for access to employment, health, social and education opportunities, this would not extend to providing transport services for commercial tourism businesses.