Transport Committee to consider proposed privatisation of bus routes

14 January 2014

Owen Reidy, SIPTU Divisional Organiser Utilities and Construction Division; Willie Noone, SIPTU Sector Organiser Transport Sector and John Murphy, SIPTU Assistant Industrial Organiser Transport Sector, will address the Committee.  
The proposals to allow private bus operators compete for up to 10 per cent of the market have been put forward by the National Transport Authority (NTA).

Chairman of the Committee John O’Mahony TD says: “In a consultation document published in September, the NTA said that the general economic interest would be best served by Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann retaining a substantial proportion of public service obligation bus services but 'not all services'. At tomorrow's meeting, the Committee will have an opportunity to hear from SIPTU, who organise and represent the majority of workers in the CIÉ group, comprising Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann and Irish Rail. The representatives are expected to outline their concerns about the NTA proposals, which they believe will impact on workers' conditions of employment and the quality, reliability and integration of Ireland's public transport system. Representatives from the NTA are expected to appear before the Committee on this issue next week.”

The meeting will take place tomorrow Wednesday 15 January at 11:30 am in Committee Room 4, LH 2000, and can be followed online here.           

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Committee on Transport and Communications
Deputies: Paudie Coffey (Vice-Chair), Michael Colreavy, Timmy Dooley, Dessie Ellis, Tom Fleming, Brendan Griffin, Noel Harrington, Seán Kenny, Éamonn Maloney, Helen McEntee, Mattie McGrath, Michael Moynihan, Patrick O’Donovan, John O’Mahony (Chair) and Ann Phelan

Senators: Sean D. Barrett, Terry Brennan, Éamonn Coghlan, Paschal Mooney, Ned O’Sullivan and John Whelan