Participants involved with the Donegal Community Training Services have stepped up their campaign for free travel, and as of last month, they have decided to stop paying the €4 daily charge to their loctions.
This is the only region where a charge is applied, and many of the participants have free travel, but it’s not valid on the bus they get to their centre.
They say they have to make the payment out of a small allowance, and the situation is very unfair.
They’re being supported by Deputy Pat the Cope Gallagher, who says he secured a commitment last year from the then minister Ann Rabbitte that the money would be made available to over the costs.
On today’s Nine til Noon Show, he said he’ll be pursuing that this week……..
Pic – Back row from left: Ann Quinn, Liam Wheldon, Chris O’Donnell, Kieran Bonner, Brendan Hone HSE
Middle Row from left: Pat the Cope Gallagher, Keelan Mooney, Mary O’Donnell, Meloisa McDevitt,
Diane Dickinson, James McDaid
Front Row from left: Emma Flanaghan, Caroline Russell, Tracey Murphy, Frances Toland, Ann
O’Brien
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Statement from service users
DCITS SERVICE USERS SUCCESSFUL IN DISCRIMINATORY TRANSPORT
CHARGE CAMPAIGN
Donegal Community Inclusion Training Service (DCITS) is a HSE
service for adults with an intellectual disability across the County of
Donegal.
Over the last few years DCITS Service Users have set up Advocacy
Groups within their various Hub locations across the County to raise
issues of importance to them about their Services, and communities.
In July 2022, at one of their Advocacy meetings the Service Users
raised the fact that while they all have Free Bus Passes, some of
them not on public transport routes, or because of their
vulnerability, have had to pay €4 a day to travel into their Service.
This charged transport is arranged between the HSE and SITT and is
known as a 'closed transport' as the general public cannot travel on
it, and it is specifically for the DCITS Service Users. Thus commenced
their Transport Cost Campaign.
Some of the main issues for the Service Users were that:
1. Donegal is a very rural county with poor public transport, no
trains and a large geographic spread so those not on public
transport routes have no option but to pay or else not receive
their service.
2. The rural geographic spread in the county already
disadvantages people from Donegal, and if you happen to be a
person with disabilities, you are further disadvantaged in
accessing services, such as provided by DCITS without incurring
a charge.
3. The charge of €4 daily comes out of the Service Users sole
income, (Disability Allowance), – €232 per week. This charge
was introduced into then CHO1 area
(Donegal/Sligo/Leitrim/West Cavan/Monaghan) only and not
applicable in the other CHO areas across the country. The
charge is seen by many as a barrier to receiving their service
and discriminatory.
Since July 2022, the Advocacy groups have met and corresponded
with the DCITS management, HSE senior management and had
occasion in Nov 2023 met with Minister Ann Rabbitte when she
visited their Hub in Letterkenny.
Through their hard work and persistence, the Minister finally wrote
(20/11/2024) to Pat the Cope Gallagher, who had been supporting
the Advocacy Group’s campaign, that she had secured the necessary
€500,000 funding for the HSE to cover this transport cost.
With the recent election and change in ministerial roles at
government level, the Service Users are keen not to lose momentum
and decided to stop paying the €4 daily charge since 13th January
2025.
In stopping the payment, the Service Users are clearly signalling they
have fought too hard and too long for this funding and aren't
prepared to wait for it to be transferred to the HSE. It is also their
belief that the HSE will make more strenuous efforts to receive the
€500,000 when they are incentivized by the Service Users ceasing
the payment as of 13th January 2025.
The Service Users are rightly proud of their achievements on this
campaign and look forward to continuing to bring change to their
services and communities and creating more good trouble.
