The Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI) has accused all political parties of neglecting voters outside Dublin by not including any rural transport initiatives in their election manifestos.
The organisation, representing more than 5,500 rural publicans, has criticised what it says is the "abject failure" of any party to look beyond the concerns of the capital and propose solutions to the growing problem of rural isolation.
VFI president Paul Stevenson accused politicians of "neglecting the plight of the 3½ million electorate outside Dublin who are becoming increasingly isolated due to a totally inadequate, or in some cases, non-existent public transport service between towns and villages".
Mr Stevenson was speaking at the opening of the organisation's annual conference in Monaghan yesterday. He called on parties to address the issue of rural transport and put forward "innovative, practical" transport schemes, including tax breaks for services providers.
"We are urging the newly elected government to seriously consider special VAT and VRT provisions for people carriers purchased for rural community transport purposes. It is quite possible to encourage investment in community-based hackneys, taxis, minibuses and people carriers if appropriate taxation and other matters are put in place."
The VFI was not calling for "booze buses", Mr Stevenson said, but an essential service that would allow rural dwellers to get to shops, the cinema, visit friends or go to the pub.
A rural transport service also had the potential to create employment. The Government had taken some limited initiatives in relation to rural transport but more needed to be done to put in place a full and regular service to meet the different needs of communities, he said.
