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Public Transport.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 7 July 2004

Wednesday, 7 July 2004

Ceisteanna (265)

Eamon Ryan

Ceist:

263 Mr. Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Transport if the motorway bus route between Dundalk, Drogheda and Dublin has been awarded to a private bus operator and Bus Éireann were not given the necessary permissions to compete on the route but instead are confined to serving the old route and its attendant villages; his views on whether this means that Bus Éireann are left with the high cost route while being deprived of the chance to recoup that cost on the potentially profitable motorway route; if this is the case, the rational behind the move; and the reason Bus Éireann cannot compete with the private operator on the motorway route. [20710/04]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

I can confirm that my Department awarded an annual passenger licence on 28 April 2004 to a private operator under the Road Transport Act 1932 to provide express bus services between Dundalk, Drogheda and Dublin via the M1 motorway.

My Department is required under section 11(3)(a) of the 1932 Act to apply a public interest test to applications for licences. It must consider whether the service proposed is in the public interest having regard to the passenger road services and other forms of passenger transport available to the public on or in the neighbourhood of the route of the proposed service.

My Department concluded following a thorough examination, that it was in the public interest to grant the application. The critical considerations which led to this decision were: the large scale residential and other developments along this route over the past five years; the consequential growth in the level of commuter traffic; the absence of an express bus service from the main population centres involved; the significant overcrowding at peak commuter times observed on Iarnrod Éireann services, particularly from Drogheda; the deferral of the introduction of additional bus services between Drogheda and Dublin by Bus Éireann which were authorised by my Department on 21 October, 2003; and, the absence of any other prior proposal for an express service.

It is not correct that Bus Éireann were not given the necessary permissions to compete on the route. The company submitted a proposal to my Department for an express service along the M motorway between Dundalk and Dublin on 1 March, 2004, namely five months after the private operator submitted his application.

On 29 April 2004, the day after a licence was awarded to the private operator, my Department, in accordance with its first come, first served policy, sanctioned the introduction of approximately half the services proposed by Bus Éireann along the M1 motorway. The remaining services were judged to be in direct competition with the private licensed operator. Section 25 of the Transport Act 1958 precludes the CIE companies from initiating or altering road passenger services so as to compete with a service licensed under the 1932 Act. Bus Éireann were therefore advised that it was open to them to seek my consent under section 25 so as to compete with the private operator at the times in question.

An application from Bus Éireann under section 25 was duly received by my Department on 29 June, 2004 and this application is under active consideration.

My Department operates due process and fair procedure in the administration of the bus licensing and authorisation system. Bus Éireann has the same opportunity as private operators to propose the introduction of additional or new services to meet growing customer demand from commuters into Dublin. In this particular case, a private operator identified the need for a service which would utilise the new M1 motorway and was first to apply to my Department with a proposal to operate a service. The operator was duly awarded a licence following due consideration by my Department.

Question No. 264 answered with QuestionNo. 43.
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