Senator John McGahon- speech from 27 Jan 2022

Thank you, Cahirlock. Leader, like you and a lot of other people in this House would know, I'm very committed to this concept of a flexi ticket for commuters. It's something that I'm very passionate about and talking about for a long time and I'm very confident that it is something in the next couple of weeks or in the next couple of months will get across the line based on what the NTA are saying. But one concern that I do have, and I spent two hours yesterday speaking to commuters from Drogheda and Dundalk who are going home on the Matthews bus, is that the amount of people who are having to pay for monthly or annual tickets today, so like if that's to go back to Dundalk on the bus it's 2,700 euro a year, if it's to go back on the train it's 3,600 euro a year or it's 362 euro a month. So they're having to pay those tickets now, and what my fear is that the NTA won't have a seamless transition for someone who has to pay for a monthly or an annual ticket today, that they won't be able to make a seamless transition over to a flexi ticket when it is introduced in maybe six to eight weeks time. So I think it's fundamentally unfair that someone would have to fork out for a full monthly or full annual today and then be left with that for the next 12 months. So what I'm asking for is that we engage with the NTA in some shape or form to make sure that they have a procedure and a practice setup for anyone who has to buy a full monthly or full annual ticket in January, that they can make a seamless transition over to a flexi ticket when it is introduced at the end of Q1 or the start of Q2 of 2022 as the NTA have advised us.