Rural Transport Initiative celebrates One-Millionth passenger

Date: 29 November 2005

"Funding for RTI will be doubled by 2007" - Cullen

In Kilkenny today (Monday, 28th November 2005) where he opened a National Conference on the Rural Transport Initiative (RTI), Minister for Transport Martin Cullen T.D., made a special presentation to Ms. Ellen McCole, the one millionth passenger on the rural transport services provided under the RTI.

Minister Cullen said: "This milestone is further evidence of the tremendous progress made by the RTI in delivering transport services in some of the most isolated parts of rural Ireland. Since the commencement of operational services in 2002, the 34 projects operating under the RTI have proven to be a very successful, dynamic and innovative set of projects that collectively make a huge difference to the daily lives of thousands of people in rural Ireland. Without the RTI many of these people would simply not have access to other services and neither would they have access to their local communities."

Passenger numbers in 2004 reached 500,000 an increase of 66% on the 2003 figure. The figures for the first half of 2005 are already up 25% on the corresponding period last year.

In parallel with the implementation of Transport 21, Minister Cullen said that he "will double the cash funding available to the RTI scheme by 2007. Thereafter, this Government will steadily increase the funding available for rural transport services; ultimately to a cash level about four times what has been provided for this year."

Having already extended the pilot phase of the RTI to end-2006, Minister Cullen told today's Conference that he intends putting the RTI on a permanent footing thereafter. Proposals for the future development of rural transport services are currently being prepared in his Department, into which individual RTI projects will have an input.

Since 2002, the Department of Transport has been funding the nationwide RTI pilot initiative, the purpose of which is to promote community-based public transport projects in rural areas. Under this scheme, 34 community-led transport projects provide passenger transport services throughout the country. Area Development Management Ltd. (ADM) manages the initiative on behalf of the Department and makes specific allocations to individual project groups from funding provided by the Department.

This year the Government has invested €4.5 million in funding for the RTI - a 50% increase on the 2004 allocation. Some €5 million is being provided for the initiative in 2006. By the end of this year total funding for the initiative will reach the €13 million, almost three times more than the original proposed allocation of €4.4 million in the National Development Plan 2000 2006.

ENDS

Further Information: Veronica Scanlan at 087 6430622