Mattie McGrath: Calls for Emergency Support for Bus and Coach Owners
Mattie McGrath addressed the plight of bus and coach owners who gathered in Dublin with their buses, stressing the industry has been shut down and operators are without income. He urged specific support and grant aid to sustain operators, drivers and school transport until tourism and events resume.
Protest in Dublin
Hundreds of bus and coach owners are in Dublin with their buses, McGrath said, protesting shutdowns that have left many operators closed and unable to run services.
Services at risk
He noted that coaches carry tours, concertgoers, shoppers and provide essential school transport, and warned these services are at risk if support does not arrive.
Contracts and payments
McGrath said there is a cohort of operators who get no payment at all if they're having contracts with bus earn, leaving them without income.
Calls for targeted grant aid
He called for specific support and grant aid for these very important logistic people movers to allow them to bring tourists back when the country opens up and to keep industry, towns and entertainment going.
Drivers and operating costs
He highlighted drivers who are out of work or effectively voluntary, and operators struggling with huge expenses such as diesel and insurance.
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I'm not good, to each of today, hundreds of bus coach owners, the Irish bus and coach owners, are in Dublin with their buses and they normally spin to themselves because they have been shut down. They've been closed off and we're talking about the last subject which I totally support. People won't have buses to travel to matches or coaches if we don't give some specific support to this very valuable industry. They carry all the tours here, they carry all the people to concerts, they carry people to shopping for many bus operators in each of our counties, you know, to different towns. And they also do a huge service in the schools. And there's also a cohort then they get no payment at all if they're having contracts with bus earn. We need specific support, grant aid for these very important logistic, you know, people movers around our country to bring in, when the country opens up again, to bring in our tourists, to keep our industry going and to keep our towns and our entertainment going. So there's a very important cohort of people and they are here today and they're not hardly able to put the diesel in the buses. The drivers are the drivers are probably voluntary because they're all out of work and they don't see the wheels turning. Huge expense with insurance and everything else. They need supports.
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