Fianna Fáil TD for Roscommon-Galway, Eugene Murphy, has criticised Bus Eireann for many of their routes throughout the country not being wheelchair accessible.
Deputy Murphy raised the matter in the Dáil recently under questions on promised legislation.
A report commissioned in 2002 stated that a key responsibility for the government was to ensure that people with disability can move around freely to the best of their ability, explained Mr Murphy. A major component of this is the adequate provision of an integrated accessible public transport system.
"To my horror, I find out that a number of Bus Éireann routes are not wheelchair accessible. I watched a tourist recently trying to struggle onto a bus and, while I give full marks to the Bus Éireann staff who were excellent, it was appalling to see," said Deputy Murphy.
"A number of routes around the country are not accessible for people with disabilities. I implore the Tánaiste, as deputy head of Government, to take this matter in hand and ensure that Bus Éireann gets the budget to deal with this without delay."
