Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 January 2010
523 Deputy Fergus O’Dowd asked the Minister for Transport the number of private bus operators licensed annually since 2000; the number of daily services provided by each; the number providing services to Dublin; the number providing rural services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2023/10]
View answerThe number of private operators that held a passenger license during each year or any part of the year since 2000 is given in the table below:
|
Year |
Number of operators |
|
2000 |
194 |
|
2001 |
194 |
|
2002 |
193 |
|
2003 |
199 |
|
2004 |
199 |
|
2005 |
197 |
|
2006 |
211 |
|
2007 |
206 |
|
2008 |
221 |
|
2009 |
239 |
The types of licenses held are annual, seasonal and occasional passenger licenses. As occasional licenses apply for limited periods, the number of licensed operators can alter dramatically depending on the day for which the data is provided. Accordingly, the number of licensed operators as of 18th January 2010 is 208 who hold a total of 616 road passenger licenses.
Currently there are 37 private operators providing services to Dublin and within Dublin of which 8 operators solely provide services within Dublin. Therefore the number of operators providing services outside Dublin as of 18th January is 200 — that includes holders of licences in respect of urban and rural areas other than Dublin City and County.
My Department does not have data readily available in relation to the number of daily services being provided by each of those operators. In many instances services do not operate on a daily basis (i.e. tours) or they relate to occasional services that only operate for limited periods.
