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Irish Rural transport - the "secret" existing network [Zombie thread]

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Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20,373 ✭✭✭✭foggy_lad


    Jehuty42 wrote: »
    I think it was joining the EU and the massive grants that came with that that actually got us to the level of a first-world country, not anything our old folks did back in their day out in the sticks.
    So them paying massive taxes and living hand to mouth most of their lives has nothing to do with how well people have it today?


  • Registered Users Posts: 25,594 ✭✭✭✭Mrs OBumble


    foggy_lad wrote: »
    Most of those services are the only means elderly and disabled people have of getting out to a town to do a bit of shopping for a few hours or even go to the library to return books maybe once or twice a week.

    I'm not criticising the services as such - just commenting that they're not a good fit with getting other people to places at scheduled times. I can see opportunites to use the same vehicles / drivers, though, and that this could both save cash AND provided better services overall.

    Gotta wonder though - how do the users get their groceries? How do they get to Mass ('cos 99% of them go go). Etc.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 20,373 ✭✭✭✭foggy_lad


    JustMary wrote: »
    I'm not criticising the services as such - just commenting that they're not a good fit with getting other people to places at scheduled times. I can see opportunites to use the same vehicles / drivers, though, and that this could both save cash AND provided better services overall.

    Gotta wonder though - how do the users get their groceries? How do they get to Mass ('cos 99% of them go go). Etc.
    I agree with what you had posted and as for getting groceries and mass etc often family members are available to bring elderly relatives to mass or shopping when going themselves but would be working or busy at other times of the week so would not have the opportunity to drop an elderly or disabled person to a day care centre or other facility daily or a few times a week, many people rely on the Ring-a-Link services for trips to their doctors surgery for prescriptions etc.

    We must decide how important Quality of life is for the elderly in our lives but be aware that when we become dependant on others we may not recieve the same levels of treatment especially if we start the levels on a downward spiral!


  • Site Banned Posts: 5,904 ✭✭✭parsi


    foggy_lad wrote: »
    Jehuty42 wrote: »
    I think it was joining the EU and the massive grants that came with that that actually got us to the level of a first-world country, not anything our old folks did back in their day out in the sticks.
    So them paying massive taxes and living hand to mouth most of their lives has nothing to do with how well people have it today?

    Broadly speaking if they were loving hand to mouth they wouldn't have paid much tax.

    Of course by your own reckoning some of them are convicted child rapists and murderers so they won't have paid any tax during their spells inside.


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 8,224 ✭✭✭Going Forward


    I'd normally agree with this sentiment. However, a relative did a study of rural transport schemes in West Cork a couple of years back as part of a college course. She found that those using the schemes for the most part really were the old, disabled etc. She interviewed many of them and it appears that the "this is their only chance to get out of the house" maxim really is the truth, and most would never get out of the house if not for these schemes. I also believe that the cost involved is pretty low.

    Its very difficult to work out what the cost of running the service is.
    There a number of annual reports on the Pobail website, but very vague on costs.

    The news reported Alan Kelly saying he questioned the sense of leaving school buses parked for 5 or 6 hours a day.

    I dont recall any talk of integrating the service with the school transportation scheduled services justice using the vehicles more during the day.


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