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BNS has been
to the fore in the drive to address the issue of inadequate public transport in
rural areas of its catchment area. The company was the lead agency in the establishment
of the Carlow,Kilkenny and Tipperary South Riding Rural Transport Company Ltd.
This company was founded in September 2001 to facilitate a joint application to
the 'Rural Transport Initiative' for the operation of a series of pilot rural
transport initiatives in the three-county area. The company's application was
successful to the tune of €311,000.
| The basis of the group's application was based
on the provision of a flexible bus, minibus or taxi/hackney service which will
be available to rural dwellers on a 'demand response' basis. This means that a
central coordination office will take customer calls and divert vehicles to pickup
customers. It is proposed that the service can be integrated with the existing
public transport in the region to provide a more comprehensive service to the
rural community. A number of prospective pilot demand responsive transport (DRT)
routes in the three-county area have been identified and the Board of Directors
and manager of the company propose to begin the piloting in some of these areas
in the spring of 2002. | 
A
central dispatcher coordinates rural transport |
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BNS through its LEADER + funding has
pledged to support the new company in any appropriate manner.
Other funders
of the company include FÁS and the Department of Social, Community and
Family Affairs (DSCFA). Other statutory bodies, such as the South Eastern Health
Board have also indicated their willingness to support the initiative. |
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