Seán Crowe
Question:395 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Transport if he intends to model the Dublin public transport system along the lines of the so-called London model; and if so, the reasons therefor. [23187/03]
Written Answers. - Public Transport.
My proposals for regulatory reform in the bus market in Dublin are based on a substantial body of research commissioned by the European Commission, my Department and jointly with the social partners. It should be noted that franchising is the mechanism of procuring public transport services not only in London but also in a number of other cities such as Stockholm, Copenhagen, Helsinki and Adelaide. The research studies, which underpin my approach to public transport reform, are departmental research carried out as a precursor to the consultation paper, A New Institutional and Regulatory Framework for Public Transport which supported the introduction of franchising; independent research conducted by the European Commission and published as the ISOTOPE report also supported tendering and led the Commission to introduce legislative proposals requiring competitive tendering for the allocation of transport subsidies; independent consultants, NERA and TIS, working for the public transport partnership forum carried out a comparative international review of public transport provision and regulation and also recommended in favour of the introduction of competitive tendering in the greater Dublin area.
My Department continues to update its research so as to be aware of the latest developments and to learn lessons from the practical implementation of relevant regulatory models.