The enhanced Operation Freeflow programme announced in early December includes the provision by Bus Átha Cliath of a number of additional services to cater for the anticipated demand over the Christmas period.
The Nitelink bus service will operate daily, except Sundays, from Monday, 7 December until Saturday, 1 January 1999. Southbound Nitelink routes will now serve St. Stephen's Green and northbound routes will serve O'Connell Street. Departures are hourly commencing at 12.30 a.m. and ending at 3.30 a.m.
Additional off-peak buses will operate at weekends to cater for shopping traffic in the city centre and at suburban locations. Twenty additional buses will operate at morning and evening peak hours for the duration of Operation Freeflow.
Bus Átha Cliath is participating in the pilot park and ride scheme for shoppers. There are park and ride sites at Whitehall Church and RDS Simmonscourt and a dedicated bus service runs between them, operating at 10 minute frequencies. Additional capacity will be provided on Saturday and Sunday DART services between 5 and 20 December. A special three-day rambler ticket for travel on all Dublin Bus services will be available at a cost of £5.50. A special "DART into town-Nitelink home ticket", priced at £3.50, will also be available. Twenty additional inspectors have been recruited by Dublin Bus to improve operational control, adjust services to deal with traffic conditions, reduce congestion at bus stops and control layovers.
The Road Transport Act, 1932, is the legislative basis for the licensing of scheduled bus services. To be considered for a passenger licence an operator is required to submit an official application form, a map, a timetable and various other documents.
In recent weeks, I received an outline proposal from the Federation of Transport Operators that passenger licences be granted to its members for a six-week period to help to relieve traffic congestion over Christmas. This proposal was of a general nature and did not contain any concrete plans nor any individual applications for licences.
I welcome the spirit in which the proposal was made. However, it raised some complex policy issues including the possible exclusive use by private sector operators of one of the corridors normally operated by Dublin Bus.
Consequently, it will not be possible to deal with the matter in the short time before Christmas 1998. I have asked my officials to contact the federation to discuss the general matter in the context of my Department's current review of bus licensing policy.