A Waterford City bus driver is calling on Bus Éireann to send vehicles to collect Ukrainian refugees.
Darren Ryan, who works for the company, says he and colleagues have agreed to give up their annual leave in order to drive the vehicles to border areas.
He has written to the head of Bus Éireann and to the Transport Minister.
Darren told WLR it's something he feels could easily be done:
"It Bus Éireann will give us the buses - and these buses are belonging to the people, [Bus Éireann] is the State transport provider.
"So the buses are belonging to you and I and everyone out there. And I think the people of Ireland and Waterford would want our buses to go out there and bring them home.
"But for me personally, I'll drive one of the buses. There's no problem getting some of my colleagues, they'll come with us."
Hugely symbolic for the State
Darren pointed out that the vehicles could be used to bring out essential medical and other supplies to those areas before they pick people up.
"I think it would be hugely symbolic for the State to send the national fleet over to pick people up and bring them here," he said.
"And wouldn't it be a lovely sight to see those Red Setters rolling down to the borders to pick people up and bring them home?
"It's a small thing for them to give a few buses... We'll say Cork, Limerick, Galway, Dublin, Waterford - even if they gave one bus from each one, we'd have five going.
"That would be 250 people, minimum, coming home."
Darren has yet to hear back from either the Transport Minister, Éamon Ryan, or the CEO of Bus Éireann, Stephen Kent but is hoping they will be supportive.
While he acknowledges there would be an expense involved, he says it would be worth it:
"I know you have [the expense] of diesel going out, you have the boats going out as well, and if you have to stop coming back and feed people... but look, it's the State transport provider.
"So, I'd hope that if they don't pay for it, they would put a good hole in what it will cost anyway.
"But people are very good. If we had a GoFundMe or something, or local businesses - I'm sure we would get sponsored for the likes of the diesel. And I'm sure that the shipping companies are very good as well, that they would give us a discount."
